A hedgehog asked his mother to buy him something.

“Mom, I want this game! Please!”

The mother said strictly,

“No. Don’t you remember that you got a terrible score on the last test? If you get a game, you will brow off studying.”

The hedgehog flinched but replied,

“My classmates, Elephant, Goat, and Wolf, who are doing very well, also have that game! So, this game must be the secret of high score!”

The hedgehog said in a bullish tone, but the mother stayed calm.

“Your classmates get a good score not because they play a game, but because they can separate leisure and study. So, if you can do that, I will buy you a game. You should certify this promise on the next test, and you must keep high scores after that.”

The hedgehog nodded with shining eyes.

“OK! I will get more than 80 points on the next test!”

The hedgehog studied hard.

and surprisingly got a full score on the next test.

The mother bought her son a game as she promised, and the hedgehog kept studying, and enjoyed the game in the break time.

Commentary

It is called" Texas- Sharpshooter Fallacy" that human brain finds a non-exist pattern. In this story, the hedgehog says that the game has an effect to get a high grade as he sees his classmates. Human has an ability to find out some trends from the random data, but it is not always true and logical. People must consider whether their thoughts is right logically or not.

There are 5 factors to set a good goal which are called "SMART" picked up from each initial, Specific, Measurable, Agreed-upon, Realistic, and Time-limited. In this story, the hedgehog promised to get 80 points on the next test with his mother, which apply for SMART. As a result, the hedgehog studied hard and got a full score. Not to give up on the way, setting a goal based on SMART will be effective to one’s success.

Reference："the texas sharpshooter"

"SMART Goals  -How to Make Your Goals Achievable- "