3 Secrets on How to Deal with Failing Goals
The end of the year is approaching. Have you reached your goals?
Happy November, reader!
Are you ready for the Challenge?
3 Secrets on How to Deal with Failing Goals
The end of the year is approaching. But most of us haven’t reached the goals we were expecting. Maybe not even one.
I know I didn’t. And you haven’t either. But there is good news.
First, you still have two months. So focus on one last sprint before the end of the year.
And second, you may have set goals too big to achieve in one year. So even if you may feel bad for a while for not having reached your dream life, there is good in overachieving.
Why do we try to achieve more?
Goal oversetting is a common mistake we all make. And the main reason why it happens is a transitory state of euphoria.
Usually, when you are succeeding at something, you are more willing to set goals. But temporary success blinds your reason, and you think you can achieve the same results consistently.
So if you were writing two articles per day because you had a creative burst, you assume you could continue the trend for a year. But it is not realistic.
However, even if failing sucks, science proved that trying to beat expectations is healthy. A study by Psychology professor Juan-Luis Castejon discovered students with overachieving personalities reached more goals than those with under or normal-achieving ones. Also, they learn to align with new goals as soon as the old ones fail, which makes them most resistant to failure.
So dealing with failure is key to enhancing your resistance. But how can you get over this painful experience without motivational damage?
3 Secrets on How to Deal with Failure
Becoming an underachiever is not an option. Science has proven it is better to try to set higher goals instead of lower ones. So if you are already doing it, don’t stop because the problem is how to deal with failure.
I used to lose motivation every time I couldn’t reach my goals. And I abandoned many passions because I didn’t want to work that much again towards a dream I could have never made true. But then, I understood giving up was not an option. And I started to search for a way to stop that trend.
These are three secrets I discovered on how to deal with failure without losing motivation.
1 – The revelation trip secret.
Every time you fail, you need to take a break.
Continuing to struggle and push against your failures, hoping they will get away, doesn’t help. But some distance and perspective could help you realize what went wrong and how you could do better next time.
Was it your fault?
Was it something external that influenced you?
Could you have done better?
How much could you have done?
2 – The temporary halving secret.
Goal oversetting is good only if you don’t give up. Otherwise, it doesn’t bring you any advantages.
So if you notice you haven’t even reached half of the goals you set, perhaps you could halve them and try to accomplish that much.
Next time, you can overreach again. But for now, keep an eye on your motivation. And aiming for more effortless goals is a great way to regain it.
3 – The slow swing secret.
It doesn’t matter how many failures you achieve if you reach the higher goal eventually. But you have to rationalize your failures.
You only make a small step before falling the first time you fail. The second time, you swing higher because you know some of the adversities. So you take a bigger leap and reach higher heights. But you fall again.
Then, you take another swing. And this time, it is higher than ever. So through repetition, realization, and self-reflection, you learned how to avoid every obstacle in your way and reach your goal. And thanks to the compound effect, you don’t have to start from scratch every time because you have made a few steps already.
The Challenge of the Month (November 2022)
Use these last two months of the year to complete most of your goals. But even if you fail, remember you don’t have to give up. Just take a break, halve the task, and take one step at a time.
What you might have missed
Last month, I published five new articles:
7-Day Better Sleep Challenge: Small Changes Make the Difference
10 Ways How (Not) To Become a Millionaire & How To Avoid Them
How To Build Your First Digital Product and Make Money Online
Some of them contain many infographics. But if you want to download the most exclusive ones, you can visit the Download page of Cosmopolitan Mindset. The password is:
IAmAChallenger
Before You Go
That was everything for this month. In December, we will review your goals to understand how to work on them better next year. So don’t miss it!
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Until next month, stay consistent and stay strong.
Cosmin.