How To Set Realistic Goals And Accomplish Them: The College Edition
Because goals really can be too big or too small...
Growing up, our parents and teachers told us to "shoot for the stars" and that "no dream is too big." Obviously, we believed them and relentlessly told ourselves that if we dreamed of being rockstars or princesses that it would happen. But then, we got older. Our goals changed as our lives changed and the next thing we knew, we were dreaming of getting into a good college.
Since then, our goals and dreams have continued to develop and change as we have learned about the world. However, among all this change, I realized one thing (and hopefully this has dawned on you too):
Unrealistic goals exist, and they're not healthy to set and aim for.
Everyone wants to make progress and be successful. In order to do so, setting goals is definitely important. Goals are what push us to take a leap of faith, go the extra mile, and think about our future in a more serious light. However, how can you set a goal that's simply unattainable? You can't. But, time and time again, I see people around me shooting for something that might just be too big.
I'm not saying the dream is too big—the goal is.
Goals are meant to be set in increments. That is, it's smart to set smaller goals (but not too small) up until you reach the end result you desire. A goal isn't meant to be a dream if that makes sense.
Let me break this down for you a little more.
If you set a goal that's too intimidating, and therefore, making it hard to start the chase, you'll likely never take the first step needed to get there. You'll fear the hard work and dedication behind meeting your large and probably pretty broad goal. For example, if you set a goal to "become a millionaire lawyer," you're not looking to actually accomplish anything soon. However, if your goal is something like "achieve a good LSAT score to apply to Yale Law School," you're much more likely to take the first step in getting a fantastic LSAT score, which will set you on the right track to be the millionaire lawyer you've always wanted to be.
Does that make sense?
Once you achieve a smaller goal, you can set your next goal. The goals will build on to each other until you reach your final goal, which is usually your dream.
Now, with that being said, you can also set goals that are too small. Let's take it back to the past example...if you set a goal to "sign up for an LSAT prep course," you're taking it too easy on yourself. That's something you can do with ease, without hard work, or much thought, besides financing the course. In light of this, a goal about taking an LSAT prep course could be "save enough money through waitressing in order to afford an LSAT prep course." This shows your drive to make it to the next level.
A small change like this could significantly impact the way you think about and plan for your future.
So, what has to change? Not just the goals we set, but the mindset we have when we set them. Dreams and aspirations happen in steps, it's a process- think of each step as a goal and watch how much more quickly your thoughts turn to action.
You'll get there.
