Aim lower... wait... what...??!

We have all heard that we should set our goals high.  If we set them low and achieve them, then with just a little more effort, we could have obtained an even bigger, more important goal.

When we understand what that means, we realize the higher we set our sites, the more likely we are to hit the target, which is at a lower elevation.  We could even say, if we aim higher, we may actually hit a target, higher than what we wanted.

So...  why would someone want to aim lower?

It is great to have lofty goals.  When we really want to achieve our dreams, we need to be clear on what we want, including many of the details and our "why" (which perhaps is even more important to dig into), and that is what we should be aiming for.

Aiming high can put our vision in the clouds.  If we are aiming higher than the target, are we losing our focus?  Have we lost site of that ultimate end?  If we aim higher, in case we fall short, then we get what we didn't want, and there may be no option to adjust what we get.

When we set our intentions for that which we desire and we are clear and committed to realizing our goals and dreams, there is another option, perhaps one that is more likely to succeed.  Aim lower.

Every goal is achievable by baby steps.  Moving one rock at a time moves a mountain.  We can break down the steps necessary to achieve our goal into more manageable and achievable mile stones.

This can help us in many, many ways.

The more, smaller (yet still challenging) milestones each have their own joys when they are achieved.  They let us know we are moving in a positive direction.  If we fail in a small step, we can try again.  Very little is lost.

It can also help us understand how long it may take to achieve the goal.  Perhaps we need to give extra efforts, whether that be time or resources, or even enlisting others to help us.  It can also help us adjust along the way to our goal, in the event that the goal changes or moves.

Finally, it can offer us an opportunity to reflect, at each milestone.  A chance to consider if the goal we are moving towards, continues to be what we want to achieve.  Perhaps it is, or perhaps we realize that our direction changes.  In this case, we could be closer to our new goal and we still have the successes behind us, boosting us along our new course.

So decide what you want.  Set you goals high.

And maybe...  aim lower...