There is such thing as setting a goal too high

“If you don’t aim too high, then you aim too low” is a quote that often rings true. However, there is such thing as setting a goal too high.

As a disclaimer, I do believe in having dreams that seem inconceivable. Humans need something to aim and strive for and we should never stop dreaming. But dreaming without any real plan to accomplish it, is just a wish.

Many people are aware of the book, Think and Grow Rich, and the idea behind the law of attraction. One thing that they often miss is that Napoleon advised on having a definite chief aim. Once you have that sole aim, you should have a date for when you want to accomplish it and a plan for what you will do to achieve it. Many people focus on the aim and then forget that they need to have a plan to execute on.

Furthermore, if you have not done anything close to that goal, have no real idea of what it takes to achieve it and have created an unrealistic timeline, you are pretty much setting yourself up for failure.

For example, if i said that I wanted to be a trillionaire, had no plan on what service or value I would provide and then said that I wanted to complete that in 6 months. I think you could all agree that it would be a very unrealistic goal to aim for, especially given that there are no trillionaires!

That is a very extreme example, but if I set that goal and had my heart set on it. If I really “believed” that it could happen, I would be setting myself up for emotional failure. The pressure I would put on myself would be ridiculous and it could also impact the view that I have on my self worth.

There are different types of goal setting. You’ve got goal setting that is realistic, meaning if you do certain things you are pretty confident that you will reach it. You’ve got stretch goals, which are aspirational and push you to your limit. Then you’ve got audacious goals.

There is nothing wrong with an audacious goal. When the Wright brothers said they were going to enable man to fly, I’m sure very few believed it. They did have a background in mechanics however, they did not just randomly set a goal to build a plane with no prior experience. That’s something worth remembering.

Another story in Think and Grow Rich, talks about a homeless man who wanted to go in business with the renowned inventor, Thomas Edison. Here was a man that started from the bottom with no prior experience. Although he did get a job with Edison, he started in a menial job for many years. He could have gave up, but he kept going until he found the right opportunity to work with Edison on. An opportunity that no one else believed in.

You can’t take shortcuts. There is a process. Maybe you never realised at the beginning how long that process would be, that’s fine. You can analyse and then adjust your plans and goals.

You have to ask yourself the hard questions. Is your goal stressing you out too much? Have you been delaying execution because the goal is too unrealistic? Have you given yourself too short of a timeline to complete it?

Goal setting is a balance. You don’t want to set a goal too low and achieve it, but if that is what it takes to build up your confidence and achieve a bigger goal, then there is no problem with that.

If you aim too low, aim higher. If you aim too high, aim lower.

Lastly, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving” – Albert Einstein