Harrington Handbooks

Setting Realistic Expectations and Goals

2013 is shaping up to be one heck of a year.  I think everyone is ready to shake off the recession blues and get back to living - myself included!

I had the opportunity to attend the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee, Florida and watch the bull ride.  For those of you who have never seen a bull ride in person the goal is not to "tame" the animal, but to stay on for  eight seconds.  This made me start to think about how we set goals and meet expectations.

I think we often set ourselves up for failure by aiming to "tame the beast" instead what is actually necessary to accomplish our goals.  Do we try so hard to surpass our goal that we don't meet it?  For example: If a rider aims to tame the bull, but injures himself along the way, he won't even make it to the next round.  If we can reduce a lofty goal down to smaller, incremental pieces - like staying on the bull for eight seconds - is it easier to attain? That was the philosophy of the tortoise as he plodded his way by the hare to win the race.

When we set our expectations too high and then fall short, we feel like a failure instead of appreciating what we did accomplish.  Instead of setting a goal to lose 10 pounds or run a marathon, how about aiming for something easier like losing half a pound a week or running a mile.

My advice to you as you start 2013 is to set realistic expectations!