I believe in the past I have definitely approached my habits with more of a GOAL-based approach. I usually set my sights on something I want to attain (ie. lose weight). Setting goals works for me as it gives me something to strive for. If I want to lose weight, I begin to look at things I need to do to attain that goal (ie. exercise more and eat healthier). I don't think there's anything wrong with setting a goal... however, the real magic happens in the systems I develop to help me reach that goal!!! I've had a goal to realistically lose 10 lbs. Over time I have achieved that goal, but here I am a few years later with an extra 25 lbs on me. Achieving the 10 lbs goal was only a momentary change. I should have continued my habits or created a system that would have helped me every day, so I could keep the weight off. As I read Atomic Habits and listened to the podcast this week, a lot of what has been discussed has resonated with me. The reason I'm not reaching my goals is that I've put my focus on this big event (ie. of losing weight). When I don't see changes, or when my "reward" does not come fast enough, I eventually quit. I really liked the concept from the podcast this week where they said "We get what we repeat". In Atomic Habits, he speaks of "critical threshold" and I believe that my problem is that I am just giving up too soon. I'm so focused on the big goal or the outcome, that I'm ignoring the CRUCIAL little small changes or improvements to be made each day.