7 min read
“You Need To Set Bigger, Farther, & Harder Goals”
Introduction
Today, in this post, we’re going to cover something fundamental, but yet not usually talked about too frequently in the education-related space.
Normally, you’re taught that you need to achieve more, and in order too achieve more, you have to work harder, and give in more of your effort for that effort to equal something acknowledgeable.
It’s already hard in many cases to reach the peaks of the mountain that we’re climbing to. But in very many cases, your standards are still not as high as they can be. You can spend those $20 on several at-home packaged meals that taste almost nearly as good as fast food, or get off your phone for those last 15 minutes of your day, and get in more sleep, and even incorporate a couple of smoked and cooked vegetables into your plate of carbohydrates and protein to sneak in some extra beneficial foods that aren’t too costly, and are good for you.
My goal from today’s post: Get you to do more, and actually be capable of doing more.
Ask Yourself
Ask yourself this question before we continue to the sections that follow: Are you currently doing enough right now? Or, or you falling behind, and just short of the hypothetical gold mind that lays behind your constant actions?
Be honest. Answer honestly.
If you feel like your minutes aren’t equaling to a desirable output, then I suggest you read this post first before moving onto this post. The goal here is to make even more with the time at your disposal, even if you already use it very well.
If You Do
If you are happy with what you’re accomplishing, have made time for talking with family, doing well in school (if you’re in school), dedicating time to outside personal interests, eating healthy, getting in some physical activity, and making some sort of dependable income, then you’re the exact type of person I’m referring to.
You are happy with the position you’re in, with the goals you’re aiming for within the next 1-5 years. Great! You’re doing one thing right.
However, if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that sometimes even some of our ultimate, and far-fetched goals aren’t as far-fetched as they should be. Maybe instead of finding a stable job within the next 2 years, why not within the next 6 months? Or, instead of fixing and averaging out your grades to a B-, aiming for an A-, even if there’s just a quarter, or even a few weeks left in the year?
The whole point of setting these goals is to set standards that even you believe you can’t achieve. I won’t go in much detail on this statement, but it’s a statement that I’ve recently incorporated into my life, and it has changed the way I think about the long-term, and use my time and dedicate my efforts.
The Picture
Set bigger goals, and the expectations that you’ll have for yourself will increase. Although this might seem like a bad thing at first glance, it isn’t. You should always have harsh expectations for yourself, because if you treat yourself too well, even while knowing that you haven’t done anything; you’ll ultimately end up in a position so average, and so mediocre, that it makes you regret your past actions.
If you don’t mind being average, or being on par with everyone else at your age, then skip this post, and skip everything else I say. None of the following, or even the above will apply to you. And, if you’re asking, no, I’m not being negative or insulting. I’m telling the truth. If you don’t won’t a life of struggle, and of work and constant improvement; but rather of relaxation, being on time, but still a happy and enjoyable life, then that’s the person that you are. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
At the end of the day, some people are happy being average. Some people are just fine doing the bare minimum, but still living comfortably, buying the foods and things they want, and still getting to spend time with their families.
Shooting For More
By continuing to read this post, you also admit that you could be in an even better position than you’re in right now. And guess what? That’s great.
There’s just one tiny bad part that, for many, ruins this entire thing: it takes work. Lots of it.
Therefore, I am not going to sit here and talk about anyone can follow this process, take the steps necessary, make the sacrifices needed to be made, do what’s required for even 5% more of the supposed 100% they’ve completed.
Purpose
You set goals to get to X position. Getting to that position makes you feel fulfilled, happy, and accomplished. You take the steps that you take because it makes you feel a whole lot of good things that you could’ve gotten from scrolling on your phone, but got instead from making the harder decision: work.
The reason you go beyond that set boundary is to reach an even higher level, and a position that exceeds what others might traditionally expect of you. Being in this farther position gives you a level of riches and wealth that no other achievement gives you. Reaching this point demonstrates that you don’t really know your true potential. It gives you an idea of what you can accomplish, and the level of work necessary to complete for even the most marginal of results.
Once you reach the boundary of 100%, there are no easy steps. Before, you could’ve done X, X2, and X3 (in order), and you get Y. Done, just like that. But now, steps are more complex; and now, you can’t even really call them “steps”. Now, they’re far more than that.
Ingrain the reason to progress, and to do what’s listed inside of your brain, and you can obtain a level of success so shocking that if you told anyone, even close friends, even they wouldn’t believe you. Remember however, you continue not because of what people will say, but because you now how much farther it sets you away from everyone else, and because of how much closer it sets you to a goal you never thought you could step foot on.
Vision & Definition
Where are you, right now? Are you stuck, lost, and in a position that holds very limited leverage? Before setting any sort of definition, or creating any kind of path for you to walk on, you need to firstly determine your current position right now.
By this I mean: If you already struggle getting to X, and rarely ever find yourself reaching that point, why set higher standards? It doesn’t make sense. You set harder goals because you feel you can’t accomplish them. Right, we know that. But, if you haven’t found yourself setting your original goal at least a few times (even if not done comfortably), you are aiming the arrow at the wrong target. Aim for the original one you set, and once you have even the slightest grasp of it, continue on.
And once you’ve reached that point, you now have come across another important mission: what to target and in what way(s) to improve
Setting The Right Target
You can do all the evidence-based research you want, and assemble an entire formula (if there exists one), but ultimately, it can all be summed into one general suggestion: If you want to improve upon your improvement, you need to improve in a sector where you possess momentum, and where you decelerate as your leverage plummets. That might not make any sense at first, but it does. You just need to make sense of it.
Think about it: As you reach the summit of a mountain, does the climb get easier? No, it doesn’t; it becomes more difficult. Tough temperatures, low oxygen levels, increased difficulties with climbing, and a million other items that can be listed, but aren’t.
At the end of the day, as you strive for more progress, there’s one thing you always have to acknowledge: It can’t get easier. As your access and ability to use leverage decreases, and as the room you have to move through tightens, the faster you begin to decelerate and make slower, and slower progress. This is exactly what makes 105% of 100% so challenging. You’re shooting for a target that’s too good – beyond the boundaries of what should theoretically be possible.
“target” Images – Unsplash.com
Achieving The Unachievable
You now have your goal set.
Instead of running 8 kilometers, you’ll attempt to run 8.5; despite how close you were to tapping out by 7.8 kilometers, and how you just barely made it. But, notice something. You still got there. If you didn’t, then we’d be talking about something different.
People might aim to just get there again, and again, and again, and then set a new goal – but fail in the process because they overshot the target. You aren’t going to make that mistake. You know your limits, your weaknesses, and what beats your strength down into tiny fragments. And that’s what’ll set you apart. This knowledge gives you the power to user it as leverage and power through that mission of yours, conquer your goals with ease (on paper), and repeat the process with farther and farther destinations.
The, Not So Simple, Steps
Ok. This is the part we’ve talked about since the beginning; the section that will take you from the position you’re in right now to the position you want to be in.
By now, you know why you’re doing this, the target you’re aiming for, and the motivation necessary to get there, but now: how do you get there?
Originally, when you’re getting to X, there’s a set list of steps you can simply complete and you’ll be there. Of course, this never guarantees that it’ll be easy; but it does guarantee that it’ll be straightforward enough for you to get there with ease as long as you can figure and channel your way there. This can go for writing a book, offering a service, solving a math problem, building a lego set, whatever. This applies to a variety of instances, but most likely not for yours.
We’ve recognized our deceleration (and rising) rates of leverage, and there’s very little we can do to combat that. But, it doesn’t guarantee failure.
Broken down, here’s what you need to do:
- You have no leverage. The only leverage you have is the gradually decelerating sum you have before. Therefore, you now need to generate your own force of leverage that’ll point you in the right direction, and power you in that optimal direction. We’ll discuss this in the next mini-section.
- Purpose beyond just purpose. At this point, regular rewards won’t work. We’re wayyyy past that. Now, you need something stronger – a passion so strong that it fuels your system and keeps you awake at night. We’ll discuss this in the next mini-section as well.
Leverage & True Purpose
First, leverage. What can you do? Not easy, nor simple. All of it depends on you, who you are, and who you’re aiming to become. We can use a good analogy for this. Say that you’re in space, and you need something to move off of, to move. But, you’re in space. There’s nothing to boost off of.
Therefore, you need to use yourself to boost and move and flow in space. This is that kind of scenario. You need to utilize your own weight, your own being to move through the vastness of space and get to X destination, even if it takes years to get there. Find that force to use, and you can get there.
But, what could that be exactly? Figure it out. There’s not much you can use to move forward, so you have to find what’s inside of you, what you have at your disposal for you to move forward. Beliefs are a good one for this, and could be classified as leverage, but we’ll consider that here as “purpose”.
Second, “True Purpose”. Sure, originally you were here to lose weight, get in shape, and look better than everyone else. But, why do you really want longer hours, harder durations, and more struggle? Is it more than that?
True purpose revolves around purpose that’s concentrated on the long-term aspect of your accomplishment. Every single time you set one of these sort of mission, there’s always a true purpose hiding inside of you; deep inside of your thoughts, your brain, your being.
Conclusion
To set bigger goals, goals that exceed what you and others think is possible, you need more than what’s expected of, and more than the standard – way more. What makes these goals so “hard”, and even “unachievable” for many is how out-of-reach they seem.
