Goals, what if you actually achieved them
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Why do we set goals? We set them because we are not fully happy with where we currently are and believe we can do better.
I believe that our goals are often not what we truly want; instead, they are an edited and safer version. We try to set these goals to achieve what we desire in life, but it’s scary. We are afraid of failing and thinking that we weren’t good enough to achieve them, so instead, we lower the goals and our own expectations to something that we believe is possible.
But what governs how big we set goals? Why do we avoid taking the moonshot?
In The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone introduces the idea that our goals are limited based on our surroundings and what we believe is acceptable and possible. Our goals are artificially governed by our environment, parents, friends, community, and beliefs.
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
Have a look at your core circle; what do their goals look like compared to yours? Chances are your goals will be on the same scale as theirs, for better or worse.
It was mind-blowing just how true that is. My goals have always been based on what my demographic thought was possible and acceptable. An example of this is if I lived in Austin, Texas (surrounded by tech companies), I would believe much more is possible in technology and manufacturing than if I lived on a ranch in Nome, Alaska.
One thought on this is, your environment and who you surround yourself with can ultimately shape what you believe is possible or not possible. So if you know you want more but are unsure how to do it, you can surround yourself with people who think on a bigger scale than you. PS: Reading great books is the cheapest and easiest way to surround yourself with bigger thinkers.
The second thought is, what if we did achieve all of the goals we set out? Every time I reached a goal, I realized it wasn’t nearly as ambitious as I was capable of, and the results weren’t life-changing on their own. Every goal was only set marginally higher than what I was already capable of, and this only required me to stretch outside my comfort zone. These goals didn’t require me to build a whole new system of thinking.
Setting goals too small can actually be more harmful than setting goals way too big. If we achieve the small goals, we know we played it safe and do not feel proud or inspired. And when we fail? We are left feeling devastated and like a failure (for example, yo-yo dieting).
This year I pledge to set massive goals that require me to change my framework of what I believe is possible. I will set goals that require massive action, goals that even when I fail, I will still be leagues ahead of where I would otherwise have been.
I challenge all of you, to take whatever your next goal is, and find a way to do it in 1/3 the time. Or execute it 3X bigger.
Thank you for reading, and let me know in the comments below what goals you have this year.
