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2 Big Reasons to Set Small Goals (That No One Talks About)
If you stuff an entire candy bar in your mouth, the odds are pretty good that you’ll look pretty gross and maybe even choke. Setting goals isn’t much different — bite off more than you can chew and you end up in trouble.
This shouldn’t be an epiphany. You’ve heard that small goals are psychologically and practically important before. Specifically, it’s supposed to help you keep your anxiety and stress under better control, improve confidence and up the odds you’ll stick with new habits that are necessary for your success.
Because we focus so much on these three big, popular benefits, we can miss others. And there are two advantages to setting small goals that generally don’t get much attention.
The first is that reaching a goal usually means getting some support from others, whether that’s in asking for information, accountability, money or a host of other favors. Your “asks” for small goals can seem far less disruptive and more reasonable to others. Smaller asks also enable you to show that, although you have a big picture in mind, you know exactly where others fit in your journey and why they can be a help to you at specific points. Recognizing their unique skills, resources or knowledge in this way is flattering. It can make people feel much less replaceable and, subsequently, more willing…
