{"id":24307,"date":"2015-01-11T20:54:58","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T01:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/?p=24307"},"modified":"2020-02-03T12:02:17","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T17:02:17","slug":"think-big-start-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/think-big-start-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Everything They Told You About Goals Is Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

We hear a lot of “achievable goals” talk these days.<\/p>\n

And that talk, I think, is mostly harmful: it creates and encourages a culture of middling, moderation-loving wafflers afraid to lay it all on the line for something that’s worth it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve heard the quote, I\u2019m sure: Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men.<\/em> And I feel pretty confident that if Goethe had lived in the 2010’s, he\u2019d have included women there too. (And been just as into selfies as the rest of us.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not any more complicated than that. If getting or achieving that thing you want actually requires you to set a goal — i.e., it\u2019s not like taking out the trash, where you just have to get off your butt and do it — then that means there are obstacles standing between you and what you want. Some you\u2019re aware of, some you won\u2019t know about until they show up.<\/p>\n

My thesis: you’re more likely<\/a> to stick it out when you’ve got a goal that’s so huge it makes your palms sweat (and makes your friends laugh) than you are with a lame one that leaves everyone’s eyelashes in place and un-batted.<\/p>\n

If your goal is compelling (huge<\/a>! ridiculous<\/a>!) enough, then when those inevitable obstacles come up, you\u2019ll plow right over them. Or around them. Or through them. And when all of those approaches don\u2019t work, you won\u2019t be able to sleep until you find one that does.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be obsessed<\/a>, and I think that\u2019s a great thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, you could instead listen to the safe advice and settle for goals that are “achievable.” You\u2019ll probably encounter smaller obstacles than you would with the big goals, but trust me, the obstacles will still be there. And since won\u2019t be as excited, overcoming those obstacles will feel just as hard.<\/p>\n

As a result, I think you\u2019ll be just as likely — perhaps more likely<\/em> — to fail. Ironically, the exact thing you feared when you opted for that energy-deprived goal.<\/p>\n

Moderation<\/a> and balance are words most people love. But those people won\u2019t let themselves think big, and this is why they so often fail.<\/p>\n

The Surprising Link Between “Think Big” and “Start Small”<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve read my blog for a while, then none of this should surprise you. But here\u2019s what might.<\/p>\n

While I think your goals should be unreasonable and scary, your resolutions — the habits you resolve<\/em> to create in order to get those goals — should be achievable. I\u2019ll even go a step further: these initial changes should be tiny. Not just achievable, but fail-proof.<\/p>\n

(And by the way, once you’ve set the goal and are chomping at the bit to get started, your habits are the first place you should look. They’re a tangible, approachable place to start, and one that you actually have control over.)<\/p>\n

So don\u2019t confuse goals and resolutions. Big and crazy and exciting goals are wonderful, but they don\u2019t make for good resolutions (whatever time of year you\u2019re resolving, New Year\u2019s or not).<\/p>\n

Instead, you want your resolutions to be the habits that will help you achieve the goals you’ve set. And you want them to start small.<\/p>\n

How small? Ridiculously so:<\/h3>\n