We all have a strong, inbuilt bias against loss. Said another way, aversion to failure of not accomplishing a goal is much stronger than the desire to achieve it. Since missing an audacious goals feels like a loss, many of us are tempted to set small goals we can easily reach. We accomplish less in order to avoid loss.
You can see this in practice with golfers. These fierce competitors putt much more accurately when trying to avoid a bogey than when going for a birdy. They fear the bogey more than they want the birdy. To help understand the impact, if Tiger Woods had putted as accurately for birdy as he did for par, he would have made an additional million dollars per season.
When you are setting your goals for the New Year, think about the million dollar difference in setting small goals versus going after something much larger. Remember that the greatest achievements are waiting on the other side of struggle and discomfort. Chasing something meaningful expecting a fight is always better than trying to avoid discomfort. Feel the fear, and do it any way.
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Vince Lombardi