GOALS: Who hasn’t looked at a post, picture or video, and thought “Yes, that’s exactly what I want”?
But while having drive and ambition is a must if you want to fulfil your dreams, setting the bar too high could backfire. You could either set yourself to fail, or become so scared of disappointment that you won’t even try. So how do you find the ideal middle ground? Our coaches have a few ideas!
In this film, our coaches explain how they set goals for themselves that are both achievable and ambitious.
"Having gone through the education process, I soon learnt that I wasn't going to achieve the top marks and top grades that I wantedto become a doctor. So I thought, 'I'm not just going to give up on becoming that.' 'I'm going to try and see if there's any other way that I can get and achieve that goal.' With a Biomedical Science degree, it's like the middle ground so it gives me a lot more options."
"I genuinely considered giving up and just dropping out and getting a job."
"I'm no A* superstar. There's no need to strive for that all the time. Not everyone's going to go to Oxford and Cambridge. I know most people were terrified of being average and there's really no need to be scared of it. You are the best of your abilities at your best."
"They are tough, they are designed to be difficult. Perhaps it might help if you see them like a bit of a game, see them as if you've gotall these little levels you've got to get through before you get to the end result, and whatever the end result is, it's going to be fine."
"If you're doing the best you can, that's fantastic, no matter what that is."
"There are all kinds of universities or kinds of courses that you can do that follow your interest at any level. You can do so many different things. Whether it's an extra year to get you up to the level that they need at the university, there are hundreds and hundreds of different options for everyone out there."
"We had tears, we had tantrums again and we cried but we got there, we got the results. And somehow I ended up at university, and that seems to be that!"
What does it mean to set realistic goals?
- Being realistic means avoiding excessive optimism AND pessimism. You may be totally underestimating your own skills and qualities, which can be just as damaging as overestimating them
- But your goals also need to challenge and motivate you, so pick goals that will stretch you
- If you’ve ever set a New Year's resolution, you’ll know that the more vague the resolution, the less likely you are to stick with it. A good way around this is setting so-called SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound
- This goal-setting system is often used in the workplace to make sure employees grow in their role – so it’s good practice for your future career too
- Have a plan B too. Knowing you have an alternative can give you the peace of mind you need to pursue your goal
- And don’t forget: you can only be the best you can be. Being competitive can be one of the ingredients in your recipe for success, but it can also become really unhealthy. So be inspired, but don’t compare yourself to others – you do you!
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