“The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark,” writes the Italian artist Michaelangelo. Most people who set goals often develop them much too low in their work. Even those people who are incredibly ambitious and work really hard develop goals that allow them to reach, but don’t stretch and push them. Setting small goals is okay for some people, but high-achievers who want to win big should set visionary goals. Here are five reason why people aim too low:
- Fear of Failure: The first reason people aim too low when setting goals is they fear failure. The thought of trying something and being unsuccessful prevents them aiming higher. In some cases, the fear of failure prevents them from even beginning. People who set and achieve significant goals are rarely afraid of failure and even if they do fail, they use it to learn and try again. What do you fear about chasing a big goal?
- Underestimate Talent: The second aspect of avoiding big goals is that most people underestimate their talent. They often believe that they don’t have enough skills or the right skills to achieve that particular goal. Often, however, these beliefs contain no merit, and they’ve been developed as an excuse to avoid trying. High-performers who reach and exceed massive goals never underestimate their talent. Even if they don’t have the skillset, they find a way to learn it. How has underestimating your talent impacted you negatively?
- Dread Judgment: The third characteristic of not setting large enough goals is the dread of judgment. Most people care way too much about what other people think of them, but in reality, few people spend time thinking about us anyways. Those people who do critique or judge rarely provide any value. High-performers have a small group of people who provide feedback, and they silence every other critic and outside noise. How has the fear of judgment impact your ability to chase big goals?
- Lack Confidence: The fourth part of playing too small is that many people lack confidence. The lack of confidence often comes from a place of not having enough practice or gaining enough experience. It’s a challenging dichotomy, however: we need to take chances and try in order to build confidence and improve. The most successful people may not be confident, but they’re willing to try and through those attempts, they build confidence. How has the lack of confidence impacted your process?
- Desire Quick Wins: The final aspect of people avoiding big goals is that they want quick wins and become too impatient. Chasing a massive vision for the future requires not only hard work, but it also requires time. Many people forget that what we see from success is often the end product; we don’t usually see all the work and process it took to get to that moment. High-achievers develop the skill of delayed gratification. They know that this massive goal they’re working toward may take a year, three years, five years, or beyond. How has instant gratification impacted your ability to chase a vision?
One purpose we all have in life is to develop goals, take action on the process, and reap the rewards of our hard work. Setting big goals provides opportunities for significant personal and professional improvement. Although we all have the ability to set and reach goals, many of us take less risk in order to protect ourselves from failure, judgment, or criticism.
How consistently do you set big goals that push you personally and professionally?