Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 153 October 2022 | Page 73

environment or climate is trying , we can shape our wellbeing and longevity by setting future-oriented goals that generate purpose and positivity . This forms the basis of logotherapy , his unique method of treatment as a neurologist and psychiatrist .
Furthermore , we are learning from behavioural economics that goals have more power than we may rationally understand . When we set goals , we trigger potent levels of focus and motivation , and consequently we create unimaginable stretch in our potential that otherwise lies dormant and undiscovered .
MOTIVATED BY LOSS
Sound soft or lofty ? It isn ' t . It ’ s known as loss aversion , a phenomenon in behavioural science whereby individuals are doubly as motivated by loss as they are by a gain of equal magnitude . Nobel Prize winners Kahneman and Tversky ’ s work on Prospect Theory explored this phenomenon . They looked at what is known as Utility Theory , the value people derive from things , both positive and negative . They found that the relationship is not linear as assumed ( the more leave we get , the happier we are ), but rather S-shaped , declining gradually and then flattening out ( the next day of annual leave counts slightly less , and after several weeks , it doesn ’ t matter so much at all ). Secondly , and importantly , they found that the curve is much steeper on the negative side . In other words , loss is felt more keenly than gain is , and hence is more motivating .
I found the paper by Pope and Schweitzer ( The American Economic Review , 2011 ) incredibly powerful . They analysed 2.5 million putts over a PGA season and found that professional golfers putt significantly better when they are putting for a par as opposed to putting for a birdie , given putting for a par invokes an attempt to avoid a loss . It ’ s quite a remarkable finding , when you consider that these are athletes at the top of one of the most difficult sports in the world , investing their very best into every shot they play . They can ’ t trump this bias , and neither can you or I .
This is profound when it comes to contemplating how to improve our personal lives , our professional lives , our communities , and our country . Tragically , most people miss this simple truth . Even those who get it , allow the truth to dilute with age . We seem to let life happen to us in older age , surrendering as opposed to taking back our power as we did in our youth – and hence lose out on the profound sense of self-determination , purpose and meaning that goals generate .
“ My goal is to get as close to a five-minute mile as I can by the end of November . I urge you to do the same and set a goal , whatever it is , to complete by end November . Having a goal gives life additional meaning and texture . Don ’ t delay .”
LONG-TERM VISION
I am twinning my goal to a far more important goal – that of our Discovery Foundation . The Foundation ' s vision is to strengthen the South African healthcare system , given we have too few doctors relative to the scale of the population and the extent of disease burden . The Discovery Foundation has already funded the education of 10 % of the country ’ s sub-specialists , and that is based on the hypothesis that strengthening the system from the top will cascade down via lecturing and training , creating further expertise and capacity .
An important element of the work of the Foundation is our partnership with the Massachusetts General Hospital ( MGH ) in Boston . Through this partnership , working together with our medical schools , we identify future academic leaders pursuing highly-specialised training , including PhD studies , and provide them full support for a year ’ s residential exposure to the
research , training facilities and network opportunities that MGH provides . These fellows undertake to return to South Africa and widely share their experiences and learnings . We already have great experience of the positive impact that these exceptional people have on our health system upon their return .
Inspired by this , we have partnered with the Foundation to sponsor an additional five carefully selected individuals to augment the ongoing commitment of the Foundation . The identification of specialised priority areas will also be guided through a collaboration with our medical schools and the College of Medicine of SA to ensure that we build the requisite depth in our highly-specialised areas . The achievement of this goal could be transformational for our healthcare system .
SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY
Time is short , and opportunities to self-actualise , to truly grow , are fleeting , if not consciously sought out and embraced . Achieving success with this challenge will not be the achievement of a fiveminute mile , it ’ s about getting across the importance of physical activity – virtually anyone can cover a mile irrespective of their resources , and it doesn ’ t matter how long it takes ! Additionally , it will be about illustrating the power of dreams and goals , no matter how old you are , or wherever your life ’ s journey has taken you .
Adrian Gore is a South African businessman and entrepreneur , and is the founder and Chief Executive at Discovery Limited .

Iconic Inspiration

Need a bit of inspiration for setting your own goal ? Try watching the first ever four-minute mile , run by Sir Roger Bannister in 1954 – still one of the most iconic moments in the history of athletics .
Images : Courtesy Discovery Limited
ENOUGH SAID …
Over the course of the next eight weeks , I will follow the training plan provided to me by JP van der Merwe , the legendary middle distance running coach who trained Mbulaeni Mulaudzi ( 800m World Champion ), Hezekiél Sepeng ( 800m Olympic silver medallist ), Johan Botha ( 800m World Indoor Champion ) and Werner Botha ( 800m Olympian ), all representing SA .
It is clear from my discussions with JP that he hasn ’ t ever trained someone of my ( questionable ) ability : In our introductory call , he asked me for my running times in school to get a sense of my potential . I had to admit the only thing I ran in school were numbers … not exactly the answer he was hoping for !
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