Setting and achieving our goals

Setting realistic goals and achieving them may seem an insurmountable goal in and of itself. We want to help you make your dreams not only possible but a reality.

Being able to measure our success by our own standards is something we all aspire to be able to do at some point in our lives. Whether we’re tired of living under the thumb of a tyrannical supervisor, eager to impress the folks at home, or just want to kick back and relax with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, it’s important to be able to show the ones we care about (even if we only care about ourselves) that we’re succeeding at our goals. Of course, to be a success, we need to work on setting those goals and creating a process for reaching them.

Setting Realistic Goals

The first step towards setting realistic goals is to assess where we want to be. Realize that not everything is achievable right away, and may require a lot of patience. Long-term and short-term goals are equally important in the overall measure of success, as saving $5000 for a trip won’t mean anything if it prevents us from providing for our family.

Second, assess where the starting point is. In order to figure out how to get where we’re going, we need to know where we are. Once we have our “Good Ending” planned, working out why we see ourselves as far away can give us direction and dictate several of our immediate steps.

Third, build that road map. Create a plan that has pieces that can be worked on every day, and find ways to eliminate the incidence of “zero” days, where nothing gets accomplished. Planning for speed bumps, diversions, and the occasional time where we’re completely lost in the woods keeps us on track and moving forward.

Following the Map

Now that we have our plan, it’s important to follow it carefully. Oftentimes, we’ll be tempted to stray, cut corners, or even give up along the way. These bad endings can hurt us, long-term, and it’s important not to let setbacks discourage progress towards the overall goal.

1. Don’t be discouraged on the bad days. Even if we only manage to complete half a task, that is an accomplishment by itself. Congratulate yourself appropriately, and finish your work when you can.

2. Rejections happen. Many times, these aren’t personal and reflect more on the people we’ve talked to than on us. Persistence is key.

3. Keep your deadlines. Some people work best under pressure, but many of us panic. Take deep breaths and break down tasks into smaller chunks, before trying to accomplish too much at once. A deadline we’ve set is a promise to ourselves, and keeping that promise helps feel like we’re trustworthy and dependable.

Success as Motivation

Using our minor accomplishments as a tool to help us continue working is important. A small success like practicing self-care, making an ongoing small investment, or even just writing our first article can help fuel the healthy feelings of pride in our work. Take ownership of what you accomplish, and recognize that everything you produce has value, even if you can pick apart flaws in it after the fact.

As we continue to progress, some of us experience a phenomenon called Impostor Syndrome, a feeling like our accomplishments don’t belong to us, or that we don’t deserve praise we are given. Sometimes, this feeling doesn’t ever fade, but that’s okay. Instead, when feeling that way, keep practicing, and use that buffer of accomplishment we’ve paved behind us to trace back to where we began. We made that map and traveled that road, and put every brick of it down behind us.

Finally, looking forward, remember that there will always be another mountain. A trip we take might further our desire to travel. A novel we write might inspire new characters. A family we build leads others to follow our example. Continue to plan ahead and set new and greater goals, and the story we write will continue to be one of success.