{"id":1564,"date":"2014-09-26T07:22:47","date_gmt":"2014-09-26T07:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinews.es\/?p=1564"},"modified":"2023-12-27T06:49:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T06:49:24","slug":"when-giving-up-is-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinews.es\/en\/when-giving-up-is-good-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"When giving up is good for you"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people hire a coach because they want to reach a certain goal. Therefore, coaches are known for helping you get more of what you want and less of what you don\u2019t want, right? Well, yes and no.<\/p>\n

Having and reaching goals has been related in the research literature to many positive outcomes. They energize and direct our efforts in a wanted direction, give meaning to our lives and are often an important part of our identity. Reaching goals (or not) is an important feedback process which helps us to know if we are \u201con track\u201d.<\/p>\n

Especially in the Western cultures, goals are mainly related to \u201cdoing\u201d. We should not forget that doing somthing, often automatically leads us to \u201cbeing\u201d a certain way. Achieving a way of being can be part of the goal, like in: \u201cI want to do exercise daily in order to be physically fit until old age\u201d. Nevertheless, sometimes we forget about the being part of a goal and commit to actions that have unwanted side-effects on that level, as in: \u201cI want to have my own business, but this means being less available for family and friends\u201d. In other occasions we pursue a certain goal that over time turns out to be unrealistic or unattainable.As you see, wanting the right thing is not always that easy. This is why part of a coach\u2019s job is to explore and fine-tune goals and their desired outcomes on different levels, to then pick those that are realistic and attainable and say no to those that are not. Depending on the nature of the goal, this can be hard to accept. In the age of unlimited possibilities, we tend to reject the idea that giving up on a valued goal might be the best thing we can do to increase our well-being.<\/p>\n<\/div>

So here is what you need to know about the choice of giving up.<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Research shows that one of the important traits related to \u201ckeep going when the going gets rough\u201d is dispositional optimism. Optimists think that the future will bring positive outcomes and are more likely than pessimists to stick to their goals in times of adversity. It makes a lot of sense that having positive expectancies about the future will encourage a continued effort when faced with difficulties. That\u2019s why popular articles often link optimism to persistence and higher goal attainment which in turn are related to higher emotional and even physical well-being.
\nNevertheless, another less known fact about optimists is that they are also better at dealing with situations where goals become unattainable. This capability has been called healthy goal adjustment.<\/p>\n

Making plans is easy but life is never fully under our control. Many things can happen that impact our priorities or possibilities, generating the need to readjust our goals.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>