Goal: Bigger the Better

Goal: Bigger the Better

You become what you think. So, it is extremely important to have high goals in life as it orients your thinking process, and you become what you want to be in the long run. Macro goal setting is important, but one needs to learn the art of achieving the macro goal in a series of baby steps. Frankly, it is the impossibility that makes any goal macro, meaning, initially it will look beyond reach. But as you move forward with focus, you will start seeing it happening. However, you have to love the process because initially, it will be very challenging to remain focused without rewards. It is the journey towards the goal that matters most in shaping your future.

We all are wired for goal setting, but its size and scale of the goal that makes one different. If you want to be really successful, you have to start thinking beyond the comfort zone and make yourself uncomfortable. In simple words, if you are mountaineer, then your goal should be Mt. Everest, and you have to be ready for the discomfort of sub-zero temperature and sparse oxygen. You might have come across several people expressing unwillingness to have bigger goals, but in reality, we all are subconsciously trained to set smaller goals because we seek rewards easily in the shortest possible time. It is achievability that decides the scale of your goal. The best thing about the human mind is that it can be trained to set macro goals and find ways to achieve it is small pockets. There is no difference between you and Edmund Hillary, except the skill to set macro goals.

When you set a macro goal to achieve, in reality, you achieve several micro-goals in your journey. These micro goals pave the way for you to achieve the macro goal, ultimately. In contrast, if you set a micro goal, then you will end up achieving just that. Four pushups on the first day in the gym is a micro goal setting, but it builds your stamina to achieve the macro goal of 40 pushups in 30 days period.    

The best strategy to have bigger goals is to be in the company of hustlers and people who have really big dreams. Go work for people who you wish to be like. Approach them, work for them for free and learn the way they think and work. Tony Robbins rightly says success leaves a clue. If you follow someone’s journey and add your own value to it, then success will be yours. Ego might create hurdle, so it is better to keep it aside when you are learning from someone. Ego clash will do nothing but drain your mental energy and keep you occupied in things that are of no value in your journey.

Simply speaking, you have to show initiative to do small works for the person you wish to be like. Just being in their presence and learning about how they conduct themselves will teach you a lot.
Goal setting is very important because if you don’t know where you are going, you will be lost. Clarity is very important. Be self-aware of what makes you tick and go do that. Just knowing your goal is not enough; you have to take progressive actions to achieve the goal.

It is very natural for humans to show resistance to come out of their comfort zone. We are conditioned for confirmation bias, meaning we tend to interpret information that confirms or strengthens our existing beliefs or values. So, when you push yourself to think beyond ordinary, then fear is a normal cognitive response. The sense of security in familiarity stops you from setting macro goals and act as a hurdle to in your journey towards success.  

Most of the time, people start judging self with goals, which isn’t the right way of thinking. So, if you want to lead a successful life full of achievement, it is better to get rid of this goal judgmental behaviour. It is pretty natural to anticipate outcomes because we are conditioned to correlated work or action with expected result and reactions based on acquired memory.

Human history is full of achievers who defied existing norms and dared to think extraordinary and how they mobilized heaven and earth to achieve their goal. You will find several such examples in the contemporary world also. If you want to be one of them, then you should be in their company and if that is not possible, then read about them and follow their footsteps. Following footsteps doesn’t mean copying everything, because every situation and circumstance requires a unique approach. You are unique, so your goal also should be unique, stop comparing your goals with others. Think big and act bigger to achieve your macro goal.