Setting High Goals: Why Good Quality Failures Are Stars, Not Scars

Setting a high goal for yourself can be an exhilarating feeling, as it gives you something to work towards and strive for. However, if the goal does not excite you, it becomes a chore that lacks any sense of accomplishment, even if you have done it perfectly. To truly achieve success, it is important to set a high goal that challenges you and motivates you to keep going.

But what happens when you fail to achieve that goal? It can be a crushing blow to your ego and self-esteem, especially if you’ve invested a lot of time and effort into it. However, good quality failures can actually be a positive thing, as they provide valuable lessons and are like stars that guide you towards your ultimate goal.

Failures as Learning Opportunities

It’s important to realize that no one achieves their goals perfectly on the first try. Failure is an inevitable part of the journey towards success, and it’s how you handle those failures that truly matters. Instead of seeing them as setbacks or scars, view them as valuable learning opportunities that offer insight into what went wrong and how to improve upon it.

For example, if you set a goal of running a marathon but struggle with stamina halfway through, the failure is not a reason to give up. Instead, it’s an opportunity to assess why you struggled and devise a training plan to improve your endurance. By analyzing your failures and learning from them, you can create a path towards success that is tailored to your individual needs and preferences.

Similarly, in a work setting, a failure can provide valuable feedback on where your skills and knowledge are lacking. Rather than viewing it as a personal attack on your abilities, use it as a chance to grow, learn and develop. By embracing good quality failures, you can turn them into something positive that helps you achieve your high goals faster and more efficiently.

The Benefits of High Goals

When setting a goal, it can be tempting to choose something that is easy or within reach, to avoid the discomfort of failure. However, setting high goals that push you outside of your comfort zone can actually be much more beneficial in the long run.

Firstly, high goals force you to stretch beyond what you already know and are capable of, which can lead to tremendous growth. Secondly, even if you don’t achieve the goal right away, the attempt can lead to unexpected opportunities and insights that you never would have discovered otherwise.

For example, if you set a goal of writing a bestselling novel, but struggle to get published, the effort can still lead to valuable connections in the publishing world, increased writing skills, and more self-awareness about your creative process. So even if you don’t achieve the high goal right away, the effort and experience can still be immensely valuable in a variety of ways.

Additionally, setting high goals gives you a sense of purpose and direction. It provides a roadmap for where you want to go and what you want to achieve, which can be a powerful motivator when things get tough. When you have a clear picture of what you want, it becomes easier to prioritize your time, energy, and resources towards achieving that goal.

Embrace Failure as Part of the Journey

In Western culture, failure is often seen as a personal weakness or inadequacy, which can be demotivating and damaging to a person’s self-esteem. However, in Eastern cultures, failures are seen as an inevitable part of the journey towards mastery, and are viewed with much less negativity.

By shifting your mindset from failure as a weakness to failure as a learning opportunity, you can reframe the way you approach challenges and setbacks. Rather than avoiding high goals in fear of failure, embrace them as part of the journey towards success. Failures will happen, but they are merely stepping stones towards a brighter future.

In Conclusion

Setting high goals for yourself can be an exceptional way to achieve success and growth. However, when you fail to achieve that goal, it’s important to view that failure as a good quality one. By embracing the lessons learned and utilizing the experience as a guide, you’ll be able to set a better course for future success. Remember to learn from your failures and use them as stepping stones to achieve your high goals.