Why Is It Important to Set Realistic Goals

Do you ever find yourself constantly setting new goals?

It can be a constant struggle to figure out what’s next. Should I take a year off from goal setting and just enjoy the small wins for now? How about a simpler life?

I know that my goals are more significant than that. It’s okay if I don’t have everything figured out yet.

That’s exactly how your subconscious will respond to you when you set unrealistic goals.

There’s no need to stress about it.

All you need is to set realistic goals. And your subconscious mind starts working on coming up with ways to achieve your new goals so that you don’t feel stressed anymore.

Don’t allow your fear to overtake you when things don’t work for you. Fight against it with positive affirmations and self-talk.

After all, the more stressful your conscious mind is, the harder your subconscious mind will work to find solutions for those problems.

Want much less stress and much more happiness in your life? Start setting realistic goals, and they will change your life.

 

Realistic Goals Keep you Motivated

Setting realistic goals is essential for staying motivated.

Let’s say you want to lose weight. You might have a lot of great intentions, but it can be hard to stick with your efforts when you constantly feel like quitting.

It’s important to set achievable and realistic goals within your ability to complete.

For example, once someone drops 2% of their body weight. They usually find that the momentum shifts in their favor.

It’s because only small steps are needed to accomplish significant life changes.

The reason for this idea is that small steps make a big difference. It’s easier for people to then see how they are progressing and continue forward with the process.

 

Realistic goals Provide a Sense of Ownership and Pride

Your subconscious mind will respond to you stressing over your goals by coming up with solutions for them.

When stressed about your goal, your conscious mind will focus more on the problem and less on enjoying the process of achieving it.

But when you make that goal more realistic and achievable, it creates a sense of ownership in you…

Because you own your problems and are taking steps towards them rather than just waiting for them to happen.

It gives a sense of pride as well. Because now, instead of feeling lazy or unaccomplished. You feel like you have come so far in such a short time that you can finally relax.

 

Maximize Your Time and Resources

Another reason why it’s essential to set realistic goals is that you need to remember that there are finite resources.

Your days have 24 hours and so 365 days in a year.

By setting achievable goals, you’re more likely to achieve them…

Because the goal is easy enough for you to complete.

With their completion comes a sense of accomplishment, which will make your life feel more prosperous and less stressful.

Of course, your goals must still be challenging but not overwhelming. If your goal is too difficult for you to achieve, it will cause stress and anxiety.

We all want to be successful at what we do, but we don’t all have the same talent or skill level.

So it’s crucial to create realistic goals to inspire rather than discourage us along the way.

 

Realistic Goals Help Stay Focused

Setting realistic goals keeps you focused on one task at a time.

When you constantly have to switch your focus from one goal to the next, it’s hard to stay organized and productive.

Instead, if you set manageable goals, you can make progress and still be able to celebrate little moments.

Just don’t stress over it…

Because you do,  your subconscious mind will work overtime trying to figure it out for yourself. At the same time, your conscious mind struggles with focusing on one task at a time.

You feel more relaxed and focused when you know your goals are achievable.

 

Realistic Goals Boost Your Confidence and Self-esteem

It’s a fact that when you set a goal for yourself, it boosts your confidence and self-esteem.

If you feel you’re capable of achieving something bigger than yourself…

It’s easier to push your limits and accomplish tasks once seen as daunting.

Also, the more realistic your goals are, the better they are for your mental and physical health.

The goals you set out to achieve may seem impossible at first glance. But with some work and dedication, they can be achieved with time.

Studies have shown that setting goals that are too much out of reach can lead to depression.

Set realistic goals, so your happiness doesn’t end up being at stake because of unrealistic expectations.

 

Achieving Micro Goals Increases the Dopamine Level

Achieving small goals increases dopamine levels.

A study found that…

The more you set small daily goals, the better your mood will be and the more engaged you’ll be in life.

The study also found that those with high levels of dopamine experienced fewer symptoms of depression than those who did not have it.

 

Setting Realistic Goals Inspires you to Keep Raising the Bar

Setting realistic goals is important because it keeps you motivated to work on your goals.

If you set too high of a bar for yourself…

Your motivation will be overshadowed by overwhelming laziness.

Setting a low bar, in comparison, will make you feel like you’re not achieving anything at all.

Of course, some things come between these two extremes. But the point remains: setting realistic goals will help keep you motivated to achieve more.

And when you achievable smaller goals, it’ll inspire you. Also, it boosts your confidence to learn new things fast that’ll help you keep raising the bar.

 

How to Setup Realistic Goals

Creating a realistic goal is an important step in achieving your desired outcome. You need to analyze your situation and ensure a well-grounded goal is achievable over time.

It also helps if you create a timeline for yourself for when you will achieve these goals.

But what if you find that there are too many goals? Then it’s time to break them into smaller pieces.

Pro tips:
1) Create subgoals, not individual goals.
2) Make the goal measurable so that you can set small milestones along the way.
3) Allow enough room within your schedule for setbacks and mistakes.
4) Split the short-term goal into one or two medium-term goals.

 

Unrealistic Goals Frustrate you

As I mentioned, if you keep setting new goals and pushing yourself to achieve them…

Your subconscious mind will work on finding ways to achieve those goals. It can be frustrating when you’re constantly working on something the conscious mind knows is impossible.

For example, if you set a goal of becoming an Olympic athlete…

Your subconscious will work tirelessly to figure out ways to make it happen.

Suppose you set this goal and then decide that it’s not feasible. Your subconscious will continue to work on developing ideas for achieving it.

This is a lot of pressure in the long run. And here’s the kicker; we tend to procrastinate more when we feel anxious about what we are trying to accomplish!

So don’t be anxious about anything related to your goals or task at hand.

Put those feelings on hold until you have a better idea of how you want things to be handled.
When you do this…

You feel much less stressed and become much more productive. It’s because now there is less burden from your decision-making process.

 

Conclusion

Setting realistic goals can help you be successful and reach the goals you want to achieve. Make sure to set small, achievable goals that make you feel accomplished.

Setting realistic goals keeps you motivated, focused, and inspired and gives you a sense of ownership and pride.