Outcome Mindset

If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. —Lawrence J Peter

The trouble with not having an outcome mindset is that you will run all over the football ground, throughout the match, without scoring a single goal. Having clarity on the outcomes you want in life is the key to success. Imagine constructing a house without an outcome in mind. The secret of getting what you want is knowing what you want. “All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do,” says Norman Vincent Peale.

What do you want? If the outcome is clear and precise, your thoughts, energy, intelligence, and every fibre of your being will shift in the direction of your outcome. Clarity of outcome brings power within. You start moving in that direction, grabbing every opportunity on the way, and turning your dreams into reality.

Most of us believe everything that others tell us about what we can/can’t do, without questioning their beliefs.

“Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they’re gonna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” —Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness

When an archer is asked to shoot anywhere, he or she will be confused. Give the archer a target and challenge him or her to hit the bulls-eye and everything changes. The whole body, mind, and energy come in unison to achieve the outcome. It is important to decide what we are going to make of our lives.

“It is better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of the one you don’t.” —Stephen Kellogg.

I know what I don’t want. Would that be enough?

Some people have clarity of what they don’t want. When asked about their goals, most people talk in terms of what they don’t want, rather than what they want. This, too, they realize only after things go wrong. And a lot of our precious time and energy goes into figuring out “why” they have what they don’t want. Once they have clarity that they don’t want what they have, they move out of the mess, only to move into another thing that they don’t want. Not knowing what you want makes you go from one mess to another. Your whole life is likely to then focus on getting out of one crisis after another.

In NLP, outcome thinking is a way to think in terms of what you want, instead of what you don’t want. Outcome thinking involves imagining what you really want by stepping forward in time and experiencing the same.

“Don’t do this and don’t do that” is what people tell others most of the time. “How do you do a don’t? “All I know is I feel I won’t when I am told to do a don’t,” goes a line a children’s song by Ruth Bebermeyer, which is often quoted by Marshall B. Rosenberg while teaching nonviolent communication through his workshops. Speaking positively by avoiding to speak in terms of “don’ts” is a concept that we need to keep in mind while communicating with others. It is also something that we need to keep in mind while communicating with ourselves. How can your brain do a don’t? Don’t think of a pink elephant. Well is that possible? All that your subconscious mind is going to feel is “Won’t’ when told to do a don’t.”

Outcome and goals are not things that can be bought in a shop. “Many people fail in life, not due to a lack of ability, or brains, or even courage, but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal,” says Elbert Hubbard. There are times when a person feels aimless in life, especially when things go wrong continuously. There are also times when a person no longer wants to set goals after failing to achieve previously set goals. The reason for not achieving goals is mostly due to not having a complete understanding of the process of goal setting.

Abstract vs. concrete outcome

People often express their goals in abstract and symbolic terms rather than concrete and sensory terms. Abstract language is not a language your subconscious mind understands; hence, they don’t inspire us. We conceive the abstract through our mental processes and perceive the concrete through our senses.

Language may be our most powerful tool. We use words to communicate our own feelings, needs, and desires through speaking or writing. Words are the best verbal or written representation of our experience. However, they are not the experience. Words inform us, inspire us, and enlighten us. Words can also confuse us, misdirect us, and complicate simple things. Words can be bridges, but they can also be walls.

The word “freedom” seems familiar, but it is an abstract word. When somebody says, “I want freedom,” what is it that he or she really wants? Financial security? A divorce? A holiday? Clearing debts? Learning to drive? Looser pants? The meaning of the word “freedom” can be interpreted in a thousand different ways. Does this mean we shouldn’t use abstract terms? No. We need abstract words, but not for goal setting. Abstract language creates more walls than bridges in your journey towards your goals.

Concrete terms refer to objects or events that are available to the senses. This is the exact opposite of abstract terms, which label things that are not available to the senses. Examples of concrete terms include water, a slice of cake, a wedding ring, a red rose. Because these terms refer to objects or events that we can see, hear, feel, smell or taste, their meaning is easily comprehensible. While abstract terms like “responsibility” differ in meaning from person to person, concrete terms like a red rose stay pretty much the same irrespective of circumstances and culture.

• • The phrase “I want success” is abstract. Success means different things to different people.
  • I want to own my own apartment in Mumbai. (The word apartment is concrete)
  • I want to drive my own Range Rover. (Range Rover is concrete)
  • I want to go on a holiday to Paris. (Holiday in Paris is concrete)
  • I want to climb Mount Everest (Climbing Mount Everest is concrete)

All these are an example of concrete language or sensory language. Can you see that concrete terms are clearer and more interesting than abstract terms?

We experience the world first and most vividly through our senses. From the beginning, we sense hot, cold, sharp, soft, warm, mummy, daddy, chocolate, nose, hand, etc. through our physical senses. If you find yourself bored or confused while listening to a speaker, chances are that you are lost in generalizations or abstractions. Your understanding improves once the speaker offers specifics in sensory language with examples.

If vision is flawed, if the plot on which you are constructing your life itself is wrong, then everything will go wrong. Excellence in execution cannot compensate for weakness in goal setting. Setting a clear outcome is one of the most important elements in life, whether it is for change or achieving something new in life. Whether it is therapy or a coaching session, whether it is life or a small project, it is essential to set a clear outcome.