Goal Setting Can Be Uncomfortable, And It Should Be

By Guest Blogger Heather Matthews

You may know that you should do some form of goal setting if you want to get ahead in life.

And goal-setting might be introduced to you as a fun way of listing what you want to achieve, by when, and how much, etc.

You may also have heard of SMART goals, which is kind of cliché and overused…

I’m not here to say that these are not correct. These are all true…

Goal setting can be fun…

…and it should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.

But what I’m going to tell you today is that goal setting should be uncomfortable.

Here’s why…

If you’re trying to do something you’ve never done before, your mind will talk you out of it. Especially if you’re used to being comfortable. And you’re not used to changing.

Your mind has a job of getting you safe and away from danger. It does that excellently. But sometimes…

…because of this ‘keep-me-safe’ mechanism that has been excessively programmed into our heads…

…we fail to act on things that would be meaningful to us.

We need that raise, but we don’t want to be rejected, so we won’t ask.

We need some extra income on the side, but we’re not used to learning, so we won’t try.

Yes, you’ll be alive. Yes, you’ll be comfortable. But no, you won’t achieve anything. Or worse, you might get poorer and poorer if you stay that way.

And because of that, here’s what I’m going to ask you:

Write scary goals.

Do your usual goal-setting now, the way you’re used to it…

If your mind is not trying to talk you out of your goals…

…saying ‘no you can’t do that,’ or ‘no, that’s too hard’, or ‘no, you don’t have enough money’…

…then you’re not writing goals big enough to be scary.

Is that okay? Yes, it’s okay because at least you’re fulfilled by checking off those little items on your list.

But will this make you rich? I don’t think so.

Between your dream life and where you are right now are walls of doubt that you should breakthrough.

And your doubts and fears might sound rational…

…but they’re not helpful.

To achieve a goal that you haven’t achieved before…

…and this is a simple concept…

…you should do something you’ve never done before.

And to go there, you should be uncomfortable. Face your fears.

As your mind is talking you out of your big and scary goals, try to reason out with it too.

 “Yes, this is a big goal, but how can I chip it away little by little?”

 “Yes, I don’t currently know how to sell products online, I don’t even know how to build a website, but how can I learn?”

Don’t instinctively run away from your fears. Face them for what they are, fears. Fears aren’t facts.

Also, writing a big scary goal will motivate your mind more to act. Your mind craves challenges. And while people have different ranges of challenges that they can do…

You know you’re in that ‘scary-but-doable’ zone the moment you feel scared.

That’s where growth is. Set the bar higher than that for starters and you might not take action at all.

So start there, and you’ll raise the bar as you progress on your journey. Soon you’ll take on bigger challenges on your field. You’ll achieve goals that you didn’t even know possible.

If you know how to make your fears work for you, not against you, then you’ll have more chances of doing something great.

Stop being mediocre and get uncomfortable.