Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

Playing it safe is the way to success

How to stop giving up on your goals

Matt Sandrini
Sep 6, 2018 · 3 min read

I had to be creative.

My shoulder hurt, but I’m not the type to give up.
I went outside, and found a set of stairs close to my training spot.
Let’s make it fun.

I started jumping this set of stairs.
They were really wide, so I started small:

Two steps. “Easy”
Three steps. “I got this”
Four steps. “You know what? I’m sure I can do five.”

Every time I tried to jump to the 5th step, I landed on the fourth. Just about.

Then I noticed it: my gaze was aiming at the edge of the 5th step, the minimum for me to succeed. And I kept landing on the 4th. One step below my aim.

Next time, I added two extra steps: my gaze firmly aiming for the 7th step.

Guess what? I comfortably landed on the 6th step. Two more than what I thought was my limit.

Just by shifting my aim, I made an impossible outcome almost effortless.

It was a great reminder.

Whenever we set goals, we tend to make them incremental — something we’re comfortable we can achieve.
Have more of this, do less of that. Grow 10%. Get one more client. Meet someone who’s “ok”. Find a “better” job. Increase my day rate by $50.

Incremental goals feel safe. But here’s why they’re not.

  • They’re not exciting. Small, incremental goals would have minimal impact on your life, yet they require you to show up and do the work. In other words, they’re not worth it.
  • You don’t know how to do it anyway. By definition, any goal will be a stretch: something you don’t have at the moment, and something you don’t quite know how to do. You’re likely to fall short of it or need more time.

So aim higher. Skip a step.
If you have to fall short of your expectations, then you better make them much bigger than “just” what you need.
Take a look at these :

  • How can I increase my day rate?
    VS How can I double my day rate?
  • How can I take a weekend break?
    VS How can I travel for 6 months?
  • How can I make my business break even?
    VS How can I triple revenue?

Notice how the easy ones require almost as much effort and learning as the big ones, but they’re not quite as rewarding.

Plus, would you rather fall short of the first set, or the second?
In one case, you’d feel defeated, in the other, you’d still have grown massively.

Whenever I set bigger goals than what was comfortable, that’s when I got the most results. Remember this: whenever you set a goal, aim higher.
Playing it safe is the riskiest option.

– Matt

PS: Want to set goals that will skyrocket your life and business?
Check out my free guide on setting smart goals.

Mission.org

Matt Sandrini

Written by

I help full-time founders get the structure and clarity to work on what matters 💌 take my FREE 7-day course at busytoproductive.com

Mission.org

A network of business & tech podcasts designed to accelerate learning. Selected as “Best of 2018” by Apple. Mission.org

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