Foundation Brick 5: Pick a Realistic Goal

The wrong goal can break you just as quickly as no goal at all.

Goals are essential. What cannot be measured cannot be improved. But not all goals are created equal. Some are so “safe” they never stretch you. Others are so unrealistic they quietly destroy your motivation because you’re always behind.

When I first sat down with my manager in real estate, he asked what my goal was. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed, I said, “I want to be the Number One salesperson in Ray White SA.” He paused. I stared at him; he stared at me. Then he laughed. I laughed, because he was laughing. And then he said, “That’s all good and well, but let’s start with a realistic target. One that’s achievable.”

Inside, my feelings were hurt. But instead of arguing, I smiled and said, “OK.” We set what looked like sensible, realistic targets and put them on paper. Quietly, I set a different set of targets in my mind—more than double what we’d written down. Those were the ones I worked towards.

Over the years, I’ve seen the two main traps:

• Super-safe goals: You hit them easily, but you never find out what you’re actually capable of.

• Overly ambitious goals: You’re so far behind so quickly that you mentally check out.

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Your goals need to stretch you without snapping you. And they need to match the lifestyle you actually want, not someone else’s version of success. Lifestyle is not always about more, more, more. It’s about alignment.

Ask yourself:

• Are your current goals too low, too high, or genuinely stretching but achievable?

• Do they match the season of life you’re in and the lifestyle you want?

• Can you break them down into daily and weekly actions you can control?

You are in control of your success or failure more than anyone else. You choose where you want to go—and what you’re prepared to do, and not do, to get there..

Contact Valerie

Phone: 0447 312 218

Email:connect@valerietimms.com.au

Website: www.valerietimms.com.au