Coaching practices for Self Concordance Motivation

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Self Concordance Motivation, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • This used to be something I wanted, but ever since my boss started tracking it and someone’s always checking in, it’s curdled into a chore I do for them
  • I keep telling myself I should be into this thing
  • I’ve got this whole list of goals and I honestly can’t tell anymore which ones are mine versus which I took on to look right or quiet the guilt
  • The moment a goal gets hard I lose all sense of why I’m even doing it
  • Every time I set goals they end up being what I think I’m supposed to want

Practices that may help

  1. Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
    Self-concordant goals, from Kennon Sheldon, are goals you pursue because they express who you genuinely are or what truly interests you — not because of guilt, social pressure, or external reward. Research finds that self-concordant goals are pursued with more sustained effort and produce greater well-being when achieved, even when the objective difficulty is held constant.
  2. Protect your sense of autonomy while pursuing the goal
    Keep the goal yours even when a coach, boss, or partner is involved in it.
    Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
  3. Distinguish genuine interest from performed interest
    Separate goals you are genuinely curious about from ones you believe you should be curious about.
    Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
  4. Audit why you are pursuing each goal
    Check whether each goal is driven by interest and values or by guilt and external pressure.
    Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
  5. Anchor each goal to a named, personal value
    Make the goal an expression of a specific value so it stays motivating when difficulty peaks.
    Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
  6. Excavate core values before writing goals
    Identify what you most fundamentally care about before deciding what you want — or goals will be other people’s.
    The Life Crafting Intervention: Scripting Your Future Self
  7. Celebrate growth, not just goal attainment
    Recognize progress in who you are becoming, not only whether you hit the number.
    Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
  8. Connect the task to your identity to activate attainment value
    Tasks that are relevant to who you are, not just what you want, have a distinct motivational source that is harder to deplete.
    Expectancy-Value Theory: Why You Try (or Don’t)
  9. Meet the relatedness need
    Connect the work to people — support, shared purpose, or being seen.
    Self-Determination Theory, Made Usable
  10. Use self-regulatory goals and progress monitoring
    Set specific goals, monitor your progress toward them, and adjust based on the gap.
    Social Cognitive Theory

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