Success is Setting Your Goals Low Enough

To reach any goal, you've got to be willing to suck at it long enough to get better at it. Only then will you take the next step...

We often set goals for ourselves to do things that we never thought we'd be able to do. Example, someone that's never run signs up for a marathon. Yeah, lots of people will do it. Most won't. The biggest reason we fall short of our goals in life, whether they be fitness or personal, is because we set our goals too high. It may be a tough pill to swallow because often times in goal setting, ego plays a huge role. We have to be happy with very small steps forward. Small steps, many of them on top of each other and over time, equal big steps. Meet short term goals that are quite obtainable along the way and add to them. To say you're going to lose 30 lbs this month isn't overly realistic. To say you're going to eat a little less and exercise a little more tomorrow is. Then the next day, you might add in something like "I'm going to exercise for 2o minutes, drink 6 glasses of water and get to bed earlier". This is progress and these are the things that lead to a bigger change. It's also something that you can maintain that's not overwhelming, mostly because it's doable. To say that you're going to change your life in 90 days is great but then you can ask yourself, well then why haven't you already? A better model would be to identify small things that will allow you to make positive change in your life, small things you can do every day and things that you know you'll actually do and DO THEM. These are the small steps that make the big goal attainable.

We are not willing to be bad at anything anymore. We do exactly enough to stay where we're at without coming out of our comfort zone. We don't want to risk looking like we don't know what we're doing or like we do actually suck at something. It's not likely you were born good at doing anything you're currently good at. If you were, you're lucky - not talented. Once we're willing to do something poorly long enough to where it starts to become something we're good at is when real progress begins. People will always heckle you and have something to say, especially when you're pushing to be better. Keep this in mind, you will NEVER meet a hater that's doing better than you are.

Let your weakness become your strength. The most amazing part is not so much in the actual task but in the mindset and confidence that comes with pushing through something and learning it. Achieving a goal you set for yourself and reached. The end result isn't the reward, it's that you embraced the grind that it took to get there. Something very few people have the fortitude to do. I don't say ability because everyone has the ability. They don't have the work ethic. If you do, you are one of few - and that's a huge win in today's "everyone gets a medal" society. Earn it - but earn it by being willing to have some humility and sucking as long as it takes to walk the slow walk to victory over yourself.