Setting Goals doesn’t work
My opinion: Setting specific medium to long term goals, with end dates, is not the way to make progress and achieve success.
This is me speaking as an ambitious and driven entrepreneur who is always striving to achieve.
Goals put limitations on your abilities, your thinking and your results.
Once you set a defined goal for a defined time-frame your mind becomes narrowed and stubborn towards that particular direction.
You are much less likely to be flexible and make the best decision or adaptation. You are less likely to absorb and see new information or see other opportunities.
Goals have never brought me satisfaction.
Previously, if I achieved a yearly or monthly goal, I would usually just question whether I had set the goal high enough, and likewise when I set the goal too high and I missed, I felt like shit.
The old saying of “Aim for the moon and you will land among the stars” is flawed for me, because even landing among the stars would be feeling like a failure because I missed the moon.
“But everyone says I need goals”
I have heard the arguments on this point:
- I need goals to keep me on track and motivated
- I need the deadline to make sure I am working towards it
- I need smaller milestones to guide me to the bigger goals
If you need yearly goals to ensure you work hard, then I would argue you are not in the right field.
You shouldn’t need the threat of a deadline to do your best work and push forward. If you are driven and ambitious you will always be thinking of the best way to push ahead.
Find your mission
Find your mission and find your why, find what excites you and don’t set a deadline, just relentlessly go after your passion. Live it, embrace it and enjoy it.
For me, my passion is helping people, it energizes me and makes me happy. So that is my mission and my actions each day reflect that. I use my business as a vehicle to do that at the moment.
Of course, I plan my days and have a to do list (which I consider to be micro goals), but I am constantly considering my mission and adapting what needs to be done to follow that overall purpose.
I don’t need one year goals to keep me on track, I push for the mission and I will keep doing this as long as I am passionate about it.
Don’t lock yourself into the limitations of specific medium to long term goals. Live your mission and adapt where needed to continue to pursue it.
Stewart Stanbra is a founder of CSUSA and the Pursue Group, he is helping driven people Pursue Ambition.
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