How to Be Ambitious: Part 2: Setting Goals

Set specific goals in terms that can be measured. Similar to "If-then" planning, setting physically measurable goals gives your brain a concrete place to begin striving toward.

• It is always important to try your best, but "trying your best" isn't the best method of measuring your success. Instead of saying, "I'll try my best to run a mile today," say, "I will try to run this mile in under ten minutes today."^[12]
• Since "your best" is a subjective term, you might be more likely to say that you've "done your best" when you find it hard to continue on with a task. For example, when you find yourself getting slightly winded while running, you might say, "Okay, I'm done. That was my best." Having a specific goal will help push you toward something that you can actually picture in your head.

Create a specific goal achievement strategy. Now that you've set a specific goal, map out detailed instructions for achieving that goal.

• For example, "In order to run this mile in under ten minutes, I'll jog ten laps around the tennis court near my house every day for two weeks. After that, I'll jog 20 laps around the local reservoir, which is much larger."
• Even people who set specific goals can end up not achieving them simply because they don't have a concrete plan for doing so. If you don't have a strict plan for reaching your goal, you won't know whether or not you're doing enough to reach it.

Set difficult but realistic goals. It is reasonable to want to run a mile in under ten minutes if you are healthy and have moderate experience jogging. Trying to run a mile in under ten minutes with asthma or during physical rehabilitation may not be realistic, however.

• Goals shouldn't be so easy that you don't have to push yourself to achieve them. If you've run a mile in under ten minutes before, try running it under 8:30. Setting goals that you can achieve easily might be great for your confidence, but it won't boost your performance or help you grow as a runner.^[13]
• Your goals should also not be so lofty or difficult that there is no real possibility of achieving them. For example, trying to run a mile in four minutes is feasible for many Olympic track runners, but is probably unreachable by your average jogger. Setting goals that are too difficult can cause you to become frustrated and angry, or it could just make you not take the goal seriously.

Have both short-term and long-term goals. Setting only long-term goals can cause you to lose sight of them down the road, making you less determined or simply unmotivated. Short-term goals help remind you of why you're doing what you're doing.

• Achievement boosts your self-confidence by making you feel more competent. Setting up multiple short-term goals and achieving them in succession helps you see immediate improvements in your performance and increases your motivation.
• For example, run a mile in under nine minutes this month, and then next month work toward 8:30. Your long term goal might be to run the mile in under seven minutes by the end of the year. Success is more easily achieved when you've built a good momentum.

Plan another goal immediately after you've achieved one. One notable characteristic of ambitious people is that they don't stop striving to become better.^[14]

• This strategy is specifically tailored to fighting complacency (as described in the previous section). Setting another goal immediately places your focus on working rather than basking. Though it is important to rest between goals, try to plan another one as soon as possible.
• As soon as you run the mile in seven minutes, plan to run a short marathon in the next two months. Take the remaining weeks to rest your legs, but use that time to map out a new strategy for meeting your new goal.

Give yourself a concrete reward every time you meet a goal. For example, have a T-bone steak every time you run a mile in under seven minutes. Rest and reward are just as crucial to success as hard work and perseverance.

• Stress is healthy in small, steady amounts because it helps focus and stimulate the brain. Having too much stress, however, will cause your performance to drop. This will negatively affect your confidence, which can then affect your momentum, which can ultimately result in you giving up.
• Being constantly stressed isn't just bad for your morale, it can severely affect your physical health. Chronic stress can put a strain on your heart and lead to diabetes or asthma. It can also make you more susceptible to catching colds.^[15]
• Rewarding yourself is different than basking in your success. Giving rewards is a form of reinforcement and will make you more likely to continue pursuing your goals. You aren't stopping to admire your success, but rather acknowledging your hard work and giving yourself motivation to keep on going.Try and make a goal to say yes more, this may seem simple but it can boost your confidence and inspire you to be more motivated.