What do I mean by saying systems people think differently?

I mean to say that:

Systems-oriented people think different than goal-oriented people.

The practical application of this blew my mind when I first came across it.

I wrote about it in regard to a job search here.

This point seems trivial at first, but don’t miss it.

For while systems will put you in a place to reach your goals, they are not explicitly goal oriented.

Diet is another great example of systems at work.

Instead of simply a goal of, say: Lose 50 pounds.

Make it a system, a habit, and you are more likely to reach your goal in the first place.

I will eat 3 eggs for breakfast every day.
Every day I will walk 2 miles.
No longer will I eat sugar.
My daily caloric intake will not exceed 1500 calories per day.

This is also true for blogging.

It is not the goal of: I want a large blog.

It’s the system of: I write 500 words every day and click “Publish.”

All I’m suggesting is that thinking of goals and systems as very different concepts has power. Goal-oriented people exist in a state of continuous presuccess failure at best, and permanent failure at worst if things never work out. Systems people succeed every time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to do. The goals people are fighting the feeling of discouragement at each turn. The systems people are feeling good every time they apply their system. That’s a big difference in terms of maintaining your personal energy in the right direction.

-Scott Adams, How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big (Amazon)