Don’t stop there
Work harder
I’m sure you’ve heard of this phrase:
“Aim for the moon, land amongst the stars”
or some variation of it.
The idea of the phrase is to encourage people to set their hopes high because even if they don’t reach them, they will still get close.
And this may work quite well for some people.
It’s a source of motivation, so if you struggle with motivation then it’s a great idea.
But are you really ok with landing amongst the stars when you were supposed to be on the moon?
If you plan to run 1km and you only ran 900 meters, are you ok with that?
If we set our hopes high and end up not achieving them, we become disappointed.
Disappointment is a painful feeling.
For all my exams, I aimed for a B
Even in the subjects that I was really good at.
But I did not work like I was ok with a B.
I didn’t work like a B student.
If you’re like me, someone who gets quite upset when they don’t hit their expectations (even when the expectations are a bit wild) then try this:
“Aim for the stars, work for the moon”
I set my expectations at B, but I worked as if my expectations were an A.
I put in much more work than my expectations would need.
And I got A’s
And I was thrilled.
For one of my exams, I was convinced I was getting a B (because I forgot to study one of the chapters)
I got an A+ (somehow)
And I was shocked, flabbergasted, amazed.
For one of my exams, I expected an A and got an A.
But I was still disappointed (this is what we call “ungrateful”)
I got what I wanted, I got what I expected.
Now I wanted more.
Your goal should be high.
The work you put in should be high.
But keep your expectations in the middle, maybe even low.
Here is a little equation:
Reality- Expectations = Disappointment
If our expectations are higher than our reality (what actually happens), then we get disappointed.
But if our reality exceeds our expectations, we are pleased.
Having high expectations isn’t for everyone.
But having high goals is.
You should work like an A student, even if your goal is a B.
The work you put in should be much higher than your expectations.
That way you have a higher chance of achieving those expectations.
And you will be much happier with your results.
Conclusion
“Aim for the stars, work for the moon”
Set your goals high.
Set your expectations low.
But work as if they were high.
