The problem with ideals.

Imagine a horizon line out in front of you. 

You admire it from afar, perhaps glamorizing what it would be like to get there.

So you begin to journey toward it.

By foot, car, train, paddleboard… you move toward it, eyes on the prize.

But somehow, mysteriously, it keeps getting further away!

This is the problem with ideals.

You never reach them.

So how to extricate ourselves from this very common goal-setting framework that apparently sets us up for failure?

Here’s my #1 tip to avoid idealism while still reaching your target:

Take a big dose of Specificity Medicine.

I think we don’t realize how often we paint our futures with a far-too-broad brush. When you set an intention or a goal, make sure it is specific. In other words, how will you know when you have met it? This is perhaps the best metric I know of to indicate whether we’ve succeeded, or indeed, whether our aim is actually even achievable in the first place.

Time to put this concept to work!

Bring to mind one of your current goals.

First, take a moment to honestly assess whether your goal has been idealized in your mind. If it has a shimmer of glamour to it, chances are the answer is yes.

Second, answer the question ”how will you know when you have met it?” Make sure to answer with specificity! If you answer “I’ll feel better about myself” then you’ve not yet crossed the specificity-finish-line! How will you know you feel better about yourself? What are the actual metrics or indicators? 

Still need more help turning your “ideal” into a workable goal you can actually meet, instead of a moving horizon line that will always evade you?

Fill out this S.M.A.R.T. goals worksheet. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.