Living Your Life By The Goldilocks Rule, Finding Whats Just Right For You
Start writing a post
Featured

Living Your Life By The Goldilocks Rule, Finding Whats Just Right For You

Sometimes challenge can be good, I know it's hard to believe.

1279
Girl
Unsplash

If you constantly live your life trying to push yourself beyond you limits, it can exhaust you. If you focus on the things you're good at and never try to expand your horizons, you're not going to get very far. There is a happy medium in between the two that following can help you balance a healthy lifestyle. This isn't a new concept to anyone, it's a well known factor. It is said that, " humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right." That's what keeps us going, that perfect balance. So where can we apply this in our own lives?

If you want to learn how to stay motivated to reach your goals, then there is a second piece of the motivation puzzle that is crucial to understand. It has to do with achieving that perfect blend of hard work and happiness. On the other hand, if a challenge is too easy, or simple, the individual will lose interest and will, again, not complete it. However, when presented with a challenge that is 'just right' it has been found that this establishes the peak productivity and motivational levels for a person.

The Goldilocks Rule can be applied to literally any activity you do. It can be applied to work, to studying, to exercise or even to cleaning your house. Let's say you're a runner. You run a 5k every week. Someone who is a better runner than you challenges you to run two a week. This is way out of your comfort zone and too much of a challenge. Now take another person, who is in terrible shape. They don't even know what a 5k is. They ask you to run 2 laps around the track. Half a mile. To you this is simple. It's not even a challenge.

The space in between these two extremes is where motivation and challenge happen. Push yourself a little farther to get better and increase your distance at a steady rate.

Not only can the Goldilocks rule improve your motivation it had been proven that living by this rule can make you happier. This is because when you are performing tasks that are at your peak productivity level, you enter a state of flow which is difficult to reach if you're performing tasks that are too easy or too difficult. During a state of flow you reach your peak productivity levels and are therefore making progress and achieving your goals very quickly, which makes you happier.

The goldilocks story is something we all learned as a kid. It's something that follows us past our childhood and continues to be something we can all live by in our lives. If you use the goldilocks rule in your life, it can make you more successful, if applied in the right way – and this is to push yourself just outside your comfort zone every day.

Report this Content
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned.

70715
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

132338
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments