Want to succeed? You can…if
you never set big goals.
In this post, we’re going to examine goal-setting and offer some advice
on how to do it more effectively.
Our Findings
Why You Shouldn’t Set Big Goals
Whether you’re setting a goal for personal benefit, because it’s
“New Year’s resolution” time, or out of necessity, the best way to ensure that
you’ll succeed is this:
Never set big goals.
Now, you may be thinking: "These guys are nuts! You’ll never achieve much if you never set
big goals!" Well, to be honest, you’re
partly right…
The one good thing about big goals is that they’re big—if you can
achieve them, you’ve definitely done something.
But realistically, how likely are you to achieve a big goal?
The way we look at it is this: The bigger/farther away a goal is,
the more likely you’ll become complacent and lose the drive to achieve it. Here’s an example:
At eight years old, you set a goal of becoming a professional
golfer—that is, making a living by playing golf. Given the amount of time you have to work
towards that goal and the fact that golf is an individual sport, it’s really
not that lofty of a goal to set—you just have to work towards perfecting your
technique. But, no matter how well you
plan things, it’s likely not going to happen.
Why? Because it’s too far in the
future and something’s bound to get in the way over the years (i.e. life).
The same can be said about even smaller goals, but ones that are
genuinely “big” to one’s life: quitting smoking can take a while and be very
difficult; losing 30 lbs. to get down to a healthy weight takes time and
effort; getting promoted can take time and effort; and so on. And what do all of these “big goals” have in
common? They take up a lot of time and
effort.
We’ve all seen how few people actually stick to and achieve the
big goals that they make. So, that’s why
we say: Never set big goals—you’re setting yourself up to fail.
If I shouldn’t set big goals, then what should I do? I still want to accomplish things…
The answer to this is simple: Have a big goal in the back of your
mind, but constantly make small, immediate goals instead.
After reading this, you might be thinking: What the heck is the
difference? Isn’t that just called
planning?
No, it isn’t—actually, it’s the opposite of that. Think about it this way:
It’s January 1st and you want to quit smoking. If you take the typical, “big goal” route,
your goal may look as follows:
Goal One: I want to be down to 20 cigarettes a day by the end of
January
Goal Two: 10/day by the end of April
Goal Three: 5/day by the end of July
Goal Four: 2/day by the end of October
Goal Five: Quit smoking by the end of December
Quitting smoking in one year using five steps—makes sense and seems
doable, right? You’re using all of the
aspects of “SMART” goal-setting...
But, “SMART” goal-setting only goes so far…
What do you do if you can get down to 15 cigarettes by the end of
January? What if on July 5th, you don’t
need more than 3 cigarettes—do you smoke 5 all the same? What if you have a birthday party on August
10th and smoke 10 cigarettes that evening—isn’t that cheating? Heck, your friend’s birthday is the next
weekend after—is it ok to smoke another 10 that night too? The list of questions goes on and on…
Now, instead of going the typical route, how about this:
- Set the “big goal” of quitting smoking in the back of your
mind—this is what you want to achieve in the end, but you realize that you
don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen.
- Set a very unlikely time that you want to quit smoking by. For example: There’s almost no chance that
you can quit smoking by the end of February, but you’re going to try.
- Start today by cutting down smoking every chance you get. Here are a couple of examples:
1. When you get that urge to smoke, try to delay having one by
three hours—you know you probably won’t be able to, but try your best.
2. If you had 10 cigarettes yesterday, try only having 3
today—again, you know you probably won’t be able to, but try your best to get
as close to 3 as possible.
By using this approach instead, you gain the following benefits:
1. In a roundabout way, you’re always working towards the “big
goal,” so it’s always top-of-mind.
2. You don’t have to waste your time making plans that probably
won’t go as expected; in other words, you’re accomplishing more by spending
less time on planning.
3. You’re always working towards unlikely but possible goals,
making you stretch to do your absolute best; in other words, you’re not
allowing yourself to get lazy and complacent.
4. You’re able to modify your plans as you go; you don’t have to stick
to something that isn’t working or might be too easy to achieve.
5. Your successes get multiplied exponentially, allowing you to work
towards your final goal sooner; in other words, it’s the same concept as
compound interest is to finances: the quicker you can add more success, the
greater the final result will be.
In our opinion, this approach makes a heck of a lot more
sense. And although we used smoking as
an example, the same concept can be applied to anything—opening a business;
getting good grades; saving up for a vacation; you name it!
Final Thoughts
In the end, all we’re really trying to get across are these two
major points:
1. Too much planning means less time “doing”; and
2. Always push yourself to do your best
Of course, whenever you’re trying to achieve something, it’s ok to
have “off days” where you slip up—nobody’s perfect. The big thing is that as long as you’re
always working your absolute hardest towards something and holding
yourself accountable, there’s no way you’re going to fail in the long run.
References
Just us!
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