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How to Set "Unrealistic" Goals

by ryanbiddulph
22 replies
Aim at a goal which seems ridiculous, then aim even higher.

I dislike the world "realistic." I feel it hand-cuffs most of us.

People will habitually aim low to save face, to avoid failure (as if they actually could), or to take it easy. Ya know, be comfortable.

I aim high each day, then up the ante the following day. That's how my Drive is formed.

How 'bout you?
#goals #set #unrealistic
  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Good point LD. Visionaries are often considered loons because others can't understand where they're coming from.
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  • Profile picture of the author MChriston
    Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

    I dislike the world "realistic." I feel it hand-cuffs most of us...
    Yep, I agree 100%. I have always disliked how "R" in the SMART criteria for a goal typically stands for "Realistic".

    Being realistic often undervalues your potential, what you believe you can do and what you can actually do are often quite different ...so I very much agree with Ryan that spectacular things can happen when you are seemingly 'unrealistic'.

    So for me a better "R" in SMART would be 'R stands for REACH'...

    Have stretch goals, not realistic ones!

    Or to put it another way, reach for the skies ...not the ceiling! :p
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Reach is a powerful word to keep in mind. When reaching forget about staying in your comfort zone. This forces growth.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Ryan
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    • Profile picture of the author MChriston
      Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

      Reach is a powerful word to keep in mind. When reaching forget about staying in your comfort zone. This forces growth.

      Thanks for sharing!

      Ryan
      My pleasure Ryan - There's plenty more where that comes from (in fact, watch out for a new WSO from me in near future)

      If you liked the R ...you should see what I do with the rest of the letters in SMART!
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      • Profile picture of the author Anne99
        I think you define what is 'realistic' for yourself. If you can honestly see yourself achieving something most likely you will. If your having trouble believing you can achieve your goals it can be helpful to (temporarily) aim for something smaller.
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        • Profile picture of the author cyberdenizen
          Originally Posted by Anne99 View Post

          I think you define what is 'realistic' for yourself. If you can honestly see yourself achieving something most likely you will. If your having trouble believing you can achieve your goals it can be helpful to (temporarily) aim for something smaller.
          I agree. We define what is "realistic" for ourselves. Nobody can tell you what you can and cannot do but yourself. But you will not know what you can and cannot do unless you try.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    True Anne, the perceiver creates the reality.

    Thanks for sharing!

    RB
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    As usual, Ryan, you have provided a great, thought-provoking post. "Realistic" doesn't do a thing for me either. "Idealistic" is the "criticism" I have heard my whole life.

    Yep. That's me, and Idealist.

    "Whoever said 'the sky's the limit' was ignoring the footprints on the moon."
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  • Profile picture of the author Kenster
    Goal setting is an interesting concept. For soe people, settign extremely high goals leads to quittign when they dont see results right away. The goal seems too far, too distant to be real.

    For others, they need an extremely high goal to motivate them and light a fire under their bum and they WILL NOT quit ever. They may not reach their high goal but they will die trying.

    In my opinion, each of the two group should look at goal setting differently. The first group should set intermediate goals, milestones, little stepping stones so they keep motivation up long enough not to quit. The second group should go for the ultra momma goal.


    I am part of the second category but I dont think its necessary fair to say everybody should be setting that ultra mega goal from the start. Just my opinion of course.
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  • Profile picture of the author MChriston
    As an additional thought...

    Yep I prefer R=Reach... but here's a twist to think about: There is a big difference between the actual goal and the method used to achieve that goal.

    "Realistic" goals often erode potential, however realism may indeed have a place when considering the method of achieving the desired supposed unrealistic or 'reach' goal.

    Just a thought...
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    • Profile picture of the author Daryl Lim
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      • Profile picture of the author MChriston
        Originally Posted by Daryl Lim View Post

        You see, unrealistic goals (or stretching goals as I like to call them) stretches your potential and unleash core ideas within, in which you would never have even get to know about if you work on realistic goals.
        Hey Daryl,

        I don't think we're disagreeing... As you can see from my earlier post I like stretch goals too, hence the "R is for Reach"

        The distinction I was making was between realism when considering a goal (which IMHO is stupid, stretch goals are always better) and realism when considering the way you go about pursuing the goal (which is an important consideration).

        Example: Stretch goal is achieve $100k a month by only working 3 days a week.

        Great goal, but how I go about achieving that needs to have some realistic thinking. To suggest I can achieve that goal from scratch without market research, product selection, customer feedback, etc... may indeed be considered unrealistic.

        Do you see what I'm driving at?

        I've come across some incredible businesspeople with extraordinary ambition and goals, however their chosen way of working was not going to get them there. Sad, but true.

        M
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Good stuff Daryl and good stuff on this thread

    From my experience, firing people up in a fervor to reach "wild" goals in their mind pushes them out of their comfort zone. That's how real growth occurs, when you can't even possibly figure out HOW it's going to happen. This doesn't work for all....but what does??

    Thanks again for sharing guys, have a great weekend!

    Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author Daryl Lim
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    • Profile picture of the author Kenster
      Originally Posted by mikey22 View Post

      Its true, I dislike the term "Realistic", it just reinforces us to aim low
      Me too...no reason not to aim beyond the normal realistic barometer!


      Originally Posted by LD Carter View Post

      Can't reveal that just yet.
      But the business is gonna be online. It's nothing new, but I'm gonna revolutionize an old industry and give it a spin. The plan is in place. At this point, I'm trying to find investors so I can move on with the next phase.

      Good to see another motivated entrepreneur here. I ahve huge goals to and am on my way..though admittedly they aren't quite as high as you, but still very high. On the internet, achieving massive success fast is within reach. Much much harder offline, but the online space is just crazy potential!

      Good luck man, let me know if you need anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
    Hi Ryan

    Interesting discussion. I think "unrealistic" is context based. A lot of products in the "make money online" niche DO create unrealistic expectations in a person's mind. For example, it's probably unrealistic to expect that EVERY article you write on EzineArticles will generate you 1,000 new visitors.

    In that context, the expectation is unrealistic. That's a real, physical restriction.

    On the other hand, saying "I will earn $1 million this year" is not necessarily unrealistic... depending on the effectiveness of the strategy for getting there.

    The key is to distinguish between real, physical limitations... and artificial ones.
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  • Profile picture of the author tk226
    Dream big, Think big, but set realistic goals. Ryan, your post moved me. Landing on moon was not realistic when the NASA planned it but they dreamed big and made it a reality. When you go for realistic goals you undermine and under exploit your strengths. What you achieved in past and if it's needed to achieve again then it's perfectly on path of being a realistic goals or something similar to what you did earlier. It becomes unrealistic when it's greater to your current skills and abilities. And, that's what exactly is needed
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  • Profile picture of the author mikey22
    Its true, I dislike the term "Realistic", it just reinforces us to aim low
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  • Profile picture of the author dcyberpunk
    Nice thread.

    It's all about perception isn't it? What may be unrealistic for someone may be a snap to some one else.

    When you aim for a goal that may seem outrageous and you pull it off doesn't that just strengthen your belief in your own abilities. Then building on that newfound strength, you’ll find yourself reaching higher again...

    "Shoot for the stars. You may not reach the stars--but at least you'll land on the moon." ---Dcyberpunk (modified from the quote by Carlton Young)
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  • Profile picture of the author ColdFire123
    Well if you want to set a unrealistic goals you must have no limitation in what you want.. Then that would be an example of unrealistic goal.
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