Greetings!
I bet you can’t read this without learning about how gamification can spice up your Bold Goals.
You’ve probably been on the receiving end of a bet many, many times in your life. They especially occur when we’re kids, and they can come from a parent saying, “I bet you can’t keep quiet for five minutes.” Or they may come from friends, in the form of, “I bet you can’t climb that tree!” or “I bet I can beat you in a race!”
These bets were a form of goal-setting–very good goal-setting because of their specificity and time limit. You cannot have a good bet without it being super-specific, because the specifics of a bet matter.
A good bet is a goal with a component of inspiration, a specific goal usually with some kind of reward attached to it. And when it’s a negative bet–one of those “I bet you can’t climb that tree” where someone takes up a position presumptive of your failure–the sense of reward for accomplishing the goal is even greater. A bet against you makes it especially personal, and raises the stakes immensely!
These are gamification principles through goal-setting, and it can improve performance. In fact, businesses are increasingly using gamification to increase motivation and focus among its employees. Gamification in the workplace is a market that is expected to grow by 27% annually to $30.7 billion by 2025. According to a 2019 study by Talent LMS, 83% of employees who receive training infused with gamification feel motivated, while 89% believe they’d be more productive if some form of gamification were to be integrated into their work.
Gamification in learning has also shaped education. Remember striving to reach different levels in math, reading, science, etc.? Remember earning points and recognition? Those are all principles of gamification!
Think of a bet as the additional spice added to a goal. It adds interest and excitement to what might otherwise feel ordinary.
Betting and gamification can turn goal-setting into a better art, an art that makes achieving your goals much more fun. Of course, gamification is no substitute for inspiration–a Bold Goal should inherently be inspirational, and have a good core “why” that makes you really care about the goal to begin with. Gamification is just the spice to make it more fun.
(Read more about the importance of knowing your “why” in this Notes From Ed!)
So consider the bet when it comes to goal-setting, and how it can help motivate you. Would you bet yourself that you couldn’t accomplish something Bold? Make that bet, and I bet you’ll be motivated and focused enough to win!
Warmly,
