Think BIGGER. Reach Further.

You know why I think most people are cranky?
They're unhappy with pieces of their life, job, relationship, etc.
They are starting to realize that things aren't going the way they thought they would, and their not sure what to do about it -- or even what happened to make them feel this way. I mean, they had a plan and reached all their goals, right?

The biggest reason things aren't working out better?
They didn't think big enough.

Giving yourself a little slack.
Usually when people make a "formal" plan, they leave a little room for error. They plan an extra day for deadlines in case things get delayed, they leave a little early for appointments in case traffic is bad, etc.  My opinion is that they do the exact same thing when planning life goals. Their goal ends up being a safe "fall back" position in case something goes wrong -- on paper they will still have achieved their goals.

Think BIGGER!
Too many of us limit our risk by thinking small -- playing it safe – in order to make certain tasks are accomplish to reach specific goals. The problem is if you set the goal or task too low (in order to make absolutely certain it is accomplished) you haven't added "a little extra room"for a spectacular success.

Reaching that low-hanging fruit of a goal can actually limit you. It's possible to reach all your goals, accomplish every task on your to-do list and still lead a boring and miserable life. I mean, if one of your goals is to get up in the morning – how is that any different than what you would have done anyway? However, if your goal is to get up an hour earlier and write a few pages of the novel that's been picking at the back of your brain, there's a goal that you can both achieve AND help you move toward a spectacular success.

Someone a lot smarter than me once said, "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, else what are the heavens for?" Another line that comes to mind (the exact words and who said it escapes me at the moment) is something like; "If we reach for the stars and fail, at least we still touched the sky."

Be Happier. Reach further. Think BIGGER.

Comments

[Michael York]

Don,
Always great to hear from the idea "epicenter" of the universe! Big is available!
Ditto your "settling" point. Michaelangelo once wrote, "The greatest danger in this life is not that we aim too high and miss, but that our aim is to low and we settle."

BIG Kudos.
Michael

[-]

Just thought I'd add another great quote:

"Aim for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars"