Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Most people have goals or objectives, things they're trying to do or achieve. Maybe we sit down after Christmas and come up with a list of New Year Resolutions, but all too often we give up on them or forget about them by the middle of January.

In NLP, the term 'outcome' is used in preference to goal or objective. The Collins English Dictionary defines outcome as 'something that follows action; a result or consequence'. The difference between a goal and an outcome may not be immediately obvious, but is significant. A goal is always something we want, while an outcome is what we get as a result of our actions. It's not, however, necessarily something we desire. For clarity and precision, 'desired outcome' is generally used in NLP to designate an outcome that we're seeking to accomplish. Desired outcomes are central to NLP. Many of the techniques and patterns are focused on achieving defined objectives. In fact, it has been said that if you don't want anything, NLP probably has nothing to offer you.
The reason those New Year Resolutions wither on the vine or never take root in the first place is because they're often, in NLP parlance, 'ill-formed'