Dreaming big by achieving small

Previously, I have written an article called “Setting goals and achieving them” where we talked about breaking your goal into smaller parts so that it can be achievable. For example, let’s say that I have joined a company as a Management Trainee and my goal is to be the CEO of the company, I will plan my route to the top of the corporate ladder by placing milestones. To become a CEO, my first aim is to be a Manager of the company, after that I will aim to be a Senior Manager, followed by Group Manager and then COO and ultimately CEO. By achieving each milestone, I will celebrate with satisfaction that I have achieved a goal and my ultimate dream of being a CEO is one step closer. So, whenever a person says that he needs to plan his career path or to climb the corporate ladder, I will say that this is probably one of the methods the person will choose. If we don’t set milestones then it would appear that our goal (in this case, to be the CEO) is very faraway and it gives the impression that it is not within our reach. Therefore, it is important to celebrate every achievement no matter how small it is. It gives us the satisfaction as well as gratitude for coming this far. Let me share with you a story about climbing the career ladder, the unexpected and gratitude.

My father’s friend is a former lawyer, public servant, politician, Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister. I remember asking my father whether his friend had ever in his lifetime career thought that he would be a Cabinet Minister one day. My father said, “No. His goal was to be a Senator”. What this man has achieved went beyond his wildest dreams. His aim was to become a mere Senator and what he has achieved was a huge bonus to him.  He has never imagined that one day he would become a full Cabinet Minister. It took him some time to realise that this wasn’t a dream, he was living in it! He served with distinction for his country until he had some differences with the country’s top leadership which resulted his resignation from the Government. The positions he attained were unexpected and were extra “feathers in his cap”. When he resigned from the Government, many of his close friends felt sorry for him but he did not let that bother him at all. He was in his old jovial self as he has achieved what he wanted to achieve and more. He is grateful for being more than a Senator. To him, the rest were unexpected and bonuses. So, when he left the Government he had no regrets but only gratitude and satisfaction. You see, when you set your goals, make sure it is realistic and achievable with some efforts. Setting a high goal which is not within one’s reach is a dream and yes, dream may come true with efforts and lots and lots of luck. The question is are we going to strive and strive until we achieve that dream or are we going to set achievable goals leading to that dream? Only you can decide for what is best for yourself. I know what I will do, how about you?

Setting goals and achieving them

You may have heard famous phrases like “You must have big dreams”, “Set your goals high” and “Dare to dream”. These phrases are meant to push us to give our best but when you look at the words carefully, the “dream” here tends to border “fantasy”. We must be careful when setting goals and objectives. For example, if we set our goals too low, there is no motivation to succeed in life. On the other hand, if we set our goals too high, it may affect our self esteem if we are not able to reach it. So, really, what we need is to be realistic by being honest with ourselves. Look at what we are capable of doing and to determine our own strong/unique traits that can help us. How can we do that? Well, we can either do a self analysis or ask people whom we have known for a long time and are familiar with our character. 

I remember when I was in primary school in Malaysia, our class teacher asked us to write about our ambition. In other words, what do we want to be when we grow up. As expected, many of us have big ambitions such as “UN Secretary General”, “police chief”, “top detective” and even “President of the United States”. Indeed, those were some our “dreams” but let us look at it realistically. For example, take “President of the United States”. The first step to be President of the United States is that you must be born in the United States and not naturalized. By having that requirement, all of my classmates in Malaysia at that time who have that “dream” got shot down. What about being the “UN Secretary General”? Well, that is attainable but not without challenges. So, how do we motivate ourselves? My view is to break down our ultimate goal into smaller parts or little goals. For example, if our ambition is to be the “UN Secretary General”, we need to conduct some research to chart our “route” to achieve that covet dream. In other words, what are the requirements and what does it take to become the UN Secretary General. Well, perhaps the first little goal would be to join the Foreign Service. So, we have to work on that first. Once, we achieve that little goal, it is time to have a small celebration as a form of gratitude and satisfaction that we have reached our small goal and on route towards our bigger goal. Then the next little goal would be to climb the ranks of the Foreign Service. Again, once we have achieved that, a smal celebration will be called for and time to achieve the next small goal. Perhaps, the next small goal is to head an international organization or a body that can help you to bring your ultimate goal closer.

Now, you may ask why do we need to set small goals? Well, for one - each time you achieved a small goal, it brings you great satisfaction and make you realized that you are closer to your bigger goal. Two, the experience you gained will set you in better footing in achieving your next goal and ultimately your bigger goal. Three, even in the future if you feel that you have a change of mind of what you want  to achieve ultimately, you can be assured that whatever you have learned will help you in your other ultimate goal. In other words, time is not wasted and it becomes a win-win situation in whichever direction you want to take. Also, it is important you reward yourself each time you achieve that small goal. It is a form of gratitude to yourself and satisfaction that will motivate you to move on to the next. So, make those little goals today and strive to achieve them one by one at your own pace and time.

Achieving your goal - one step at a time (The Everest example)

I am rather fortunate to live close to the shopping malls and the CBD. As a matter of fact, it would just take me about 8 minutes to get there. However, since the place where I am staying is rather hilly, it is quite a challenge to climb the rather steep slope. Each time when I looked up, I would feel aches in my legs and my breathing will become faster. In other words, I was already tired before I make that climb.

One day, it occurred to me that this is more psychological than physical. I was reminded of an interview with one of the mountaineers that climbed Mount Everest. When asked whether he felt tired and exhausted before reaching the top, he said, “Most definitely. However it is more of thinking how am I going to reach the top rather than the actual climb itself that made me exhausted”. So, what did the mountaineer do? He decided to take one step at a time. He focused his thoughts and concentration on every step he take without looking up.  He avoided looking at the peak. Because whenever he looked at the peak, he will start feeling tired and it looks like it is going to take him forever to reach the peak. So, with that philosophy in mind, I did just that. I looked at the path leading up to the top of the slope. I focused my thoughts on every step I take and avoided looking up. Suddenly it felt that the climb was easy and comfortable. I suppose this has got to do with how we live our life. We focus on what we have today and slowly make that climb towards our ultimate goal.