#56. Atharv’s Chronicle : 31-08-2026 GoalS(❌) Systems(✅)

Welcome back to another edition of Atharv’s Chronicle!

Goal Setting – one of the most cliche word repeated in personal development but having taken it seriously – it has helped me achieve many things in my life!

Back in 2014 – when I was in 12th grade, I got started with this – when I wanted to achieve a desired % on my 12th results.
I planned and wrote down, I saw those goals everyday, repeated them as a command. those goals motivated me to study and eventually I was able to achieve good results but only less than what I anticipated

Looking back, the reason is simple – I had set goals – like anybody else – but never created any system, so irrespective of the big goals we plan – how much ever big they can be – we fall down to the level of our systems!

Nothing changes when we just set a goal – we have to make changes in our environment, in our routine, in our energy and everything!
the goal set should act as just a first step in bringing the change

I have been setting goals over the years
achieved couple of them – and missed few of them as well
when I sit and analyse what are the practical reasons
the pattern is obvious. The goals I didn’t achieve were the ones I set “just like that” – no system, no steps, nothing to follow. The goals I did achieve were the ones where I built a system first and simply followed it.

There’s a line from James Clear that captures this perfectly:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

anyone when setting any goal – they would have some end goal
if we define that end goal as our target – then we should also define the path which we want to take?
how we are going to do it?
we can’t be just vague and say – Whatever it takes – I would do that!
just lay down the possible actionable steps and then see how the path unfolds

say for example
if I just say I want to start a business – first thing is – it shouldn’t be our end goal
the goal should be to pick a particular problem and solve it and charge money for the service/product through which the problem is getting solved

So to get there, we would need to keep asking ourself:

• What problem I can solve

• Where can I find these problems

• Whom do I talk to?

• What is the solution that I can propose?

• What is the product that can solve this?

• Can I make money out of it?

• Are people willing to pay for it?

If we keep on observing how different businesses work and keep asking ourselves these questions/performing these actions on a daily basis in a schedueld time
we will get there – at least it can open the doors

but if we just sit with the goal – I want to start a business!
Only god can help you
actually I am sorry – God helps only those who help themselves!
sooo, only we have to deal with it

Let me bring this back to something more personal – my fitness goals.
At the start of 2026 – I set a goal around my fitness with these thoughts in my mind

• I should feel the best when I look at myself in the mirror

• I should feel energetic throughout the day

• I dont want to fall ill often

Basically I wanted to look fit and also feel fit
but this time – unlike before – I just didnt set the goals
I built the systems around them

• To feel fit, I needed to work out. So I train 4-5 times a week, and on the remaining days I go for a run or play badminton.

• To keep that energy up through the day, I walk after every meal and do pushups in between the work.

• and in order to feel good – I eat good food – started adding protein in each meal and reduced my excessive carbs intake – reduced sugar intake – added creatine to my routine – so I feel that optimum energy throughout the day

Honeslty I have lost track of the goals that I have set
because the systems that I have built just runs on autopilot – and takes care of the goals automatically
and yes, there will be rough days and things dont go as planned – but its okay when you have set the good system – you will eventually fall back to them!

so as a result of these systems
I am in the better shape than last year
I feel the energy througout the day – very less burnouts
and I feel lighter – have lost around 4.5 kgs
And I’ve been to the hospital only once this year, and that too for a throat infection
so yeah, setting the better system helps and goals takes care of themselves!

and Fitness is one such example
I am using this principle for almost all areas of my life and excellig at it!

If there’s one thing I want you to walk away with from this piece, it’s this

stop asking “what goal should I set next”

and start asking “what system do I need to build to get there.”

So pick the one goal that matters most to you right now. think of an actionable step in your day that moves you towards it?

Hope you’re able to relate to this one. See you in the next edition

• Atharv Prasanna