Set stretch goals

During change, everything can feel destabilised. Setting goals, big or small, gives you focus and direction and when achieved a sense of pride, therefore boosting self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Furthermore, when we meet our goals, we become more aware of our strengths. This sense of confidence helps stamp out negative thinking, doubt, and fear. We need this more than ever when the world around us feels uncertain.

What’s the magic sauce to goal setting you rarely hear about? Aim for better than your best!

Researchers have confirmed that when people set stretch goals that challenge them, they go on to achieve far more than when simply aiming to do their best. One study sought to understand how the type of goal impacted brainstorming and performance. 120 participants were separated into three groups. One group was simply told to do their best. The directive group was given a specific goal set by someone else. And the final group was asked to set their own goal.

Every group except the do-your-best group improved performance in the brainstorming task. The participants in the directive group were 100% more likely to meet their goal. And the group in which each participant set their own goal was 103% more likely to meet their goals.

The research is clear: Setting a do-your-best goal is a cop-out. It’s extremely vague and it’s difficult to know when you have done your best. In addition, the vague goal lacks consequence and accountability.

Remember: It’s important to hold yourself to a higher standard—the harder the goal, the more self-respect and pride you gain from achieving it.

A different study with 82 working professionals—physicians, lawyers, scientists, bank employees, hotel managers, etc.—looked at the relationship between the difficulty of the goal and work satisfaction. In the beginning of the study, participants set five work-related goals, while also rating their wellbeing and work satisfaction. Three years later, participants were reassessed. Professionals who set more challenging goals experienced significantly more positive emotions. Even better, those who set challenging goals did not experience burnout or feel less alert, less attentive, or less active. Even though the goals required more energy and effort to pursue them, the subjective benefits of setting big goals largely outweighed the costs.

The fear of failure might hold some of us back from trying. It might be more tempting to set a small goal and achieve it. In fact, many life coaches will push for setting ‘realistic’ and ‘achievable’ goals, but don’t mistake that for small ambition. The actions you take each day need to be small and achievable, but the ambition should be big and aspirational.

Importantly, think of this tip as advanced tip to thrive with change, which should be implemented when you are feeling more in-control of your personal situation. If you are just “surviving” or “coping”, make sure you go back to some of the earlier tips.