Joe Gibbs – being a professional football player was an unrealistic goal goal based on his strengths and abilities. So, he decided to pursue his dream job as an NFL head coach. It took decades to achieve that dream, but setting effective goals helped him get there!
Joe Gibbs learned at an early age that being a professional football player was an unrealistic goal based on his strengths and abilities. So, he decided to pursue his dream job as an NFL head coach. It took decades to achieve that dream, but setting effective goals helped him get there!
To find success like Coach, we need to set SMART goals. Have you ever set a goal that was unrealistic? What happened? What did you learn? Using the SMART goal framework, identify a past goal that you made for yourself and explain why it might have been unrealistic
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I bet you have been through it. The first time when you came across the idea of setting goals, you were so excited to set a big goal that stretches you out of your comfort zone. You have also heard that people often told you to set big goals that excite and drive you. Guess what happens in the end – you’re disappointed by the unrealistic goals you have set, and you failed to achieve them.
Now, when we talk about setting unrealistic goals, there is one thing you need to understand is that it is not so much about whether a goal is unrealistic or within your reach, it is about your ability.
Here are a few examples of unrealistic goals:
All of the above goals can be realistic or unrealistic, depending on your circumstances and ability.
For example, do you think setting a goal to make a million dollars a year is something unrealistic or is it something realistic?
The answer is subjective. If you’re Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world at the point of this writing, earning a million dollars in a year is piece of cake. It is something very possible because you already have the capability and the ability to do so.
However, if you are someone who is broke and deeply in debt, and have no skills and knowledge in running a business, earning a million dollars a year can be something unrealistic to you.
Now, what if you’re just 5 feet tall and you have the dream of joining the NBA? This may really seem like an unrealistic goal. The average height of an NBA player is 6’7”, which is about 200cm.
I’m not saying that this is totally impossible. Unless you have very unique or superior skills, being a 5 feet tall basketball player makes it NEAR to impossible to join the NBA.
The same goes for building a blog. I have seen many bloggers set big goals that are almost impossible to achieve. They want each of their post to receive 500 comments when they are just starting.
Don’t get me wrong, it is possible to get 500 comments on a post if it goes viral. But you have to consider your ability to write a great blog post that attracts thousands of eyeballs.
Not only that, but you need to also consider your own creativity. Do you have the necessary knowledge and skills to make a blog post goes viral? Do you have what it takes to make the article viral?
It is not so much about the goal, it is more about your capability and how creative you are. It is about your strategy and your ability.
Like what I have mentioned in my previous article, Setting Realistic VS Unrealistic Goals: What You Need to Know, I said that no matter what goals you set, your strategy matters.
So, how can you tell if the goal you set is realistic or unrealistic? Well, just answer these few questions below:
After going through the questions above and really ponder about your goals, I bet you will have a clear idea of whether your goal is realistic or unrealistic to you.
Remember, it is not about whether your goal is realistic or unrealistic, instead, it is about you, whether you are being realistic or unrealistic.
If you don’t want to put in the work, yet, you want to achieve the goal, you’re being unrealistic.
If you want to save a million dollars in a year but you are not willing to start a business and your only income is your fix salary of $3,000 a month, you’re being unrealistic.
If you want to build a successful business but you’re not willing to put in the effort and time, you prefer to spend time playing computer games, then you’re being unrealistic.
If you want to stay fit and build a 6-pack ab but you don’t follow your diet plan and you don’t workout, you’re being unrealistic.
By now you should have understood whether your goal is within your reach or whether it is not.