Setting a big fat goal

When it comes to life, there are so many philosophies and mindsets that people approach life with. Some people like to take risks, some like to play it safe and some are in between. 

Even the same person might change how they approach life based on the phase where they are. 

An ambitious risk taker might not take the same risks when they are older, or when they have responsibilities. 

Someone who played it safe all their life might go ALL IN, if they happen to lose everything and there is nothing more to lose. 

Going all in, or partially in, or not in at all depends a lot on the context. 

However, regardless of the amount of risk that one takes, it always helps to have a goal to get what you want. Not just another goal, but a big fat goal. 

Let me explain. 

Throughout my life, I have been using the different approaches that I specified above. There were times that I just accepted my fate and went with the flow. Times, when I took one step at a time and improved my situation. And finally, times when I thought big, and took massive actions. 

Guess which strategy gave me the best outcome ? 

I think it's very evident which one it is. The funny thing is, we all seem to understand this but still too afraid to take action. Still afraid to think big. There is nothing wrong in taking it one step at a time, but even to take things one step at a time, you do need a goal. And having a big fat goal, helps a lot. 

I thought of writing this post, because there were too many times in my life that I started to see this pattern and writing it helps to solidify the idea within my mind it self. 

Fundamentally I was brought up in a way to play it safe. I think, we all are bought up in such a way. Every parent wants to see their child succeed and be safe. But ironically, if you want to succeed, you have to kind of take the risk as well. 

This reminds me of the famous Adam Smith quote, "The first generation earns it, the second generation spends it, and the third generation blows it". 

This can happen in multiple ways, one is because of too much risk and the other is due to lack of risk. 

As Mark Zuckerberg said, "The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

Why do we tend to keep our goals smaller ? Is it because the kind of actions that we should take to achieve the big fat goals are more riskier ? or is it because we are afraid that we might fail ? 

In my opinion, if a person sets a big fat goal and ends up not achieving it, that can still be considered a success. Because the learnings that one gets through the process will help a lot for the next big fat goal. 

Let me take a small example that most people can relate to, such as planning an event. (Birthday, Wedding, Meetup, Whatever)

Initially, when I planned these events I tend to set the budget for the event and decide what can be done for the budget that I have. First I will go through the basic requirements, check the budget and either stop or add further items based on the budget. This ascending approach will get you a good result. 

The second approach which I learned from my father in law is the descending approach. Forget the budget and the money. First, plan the event, how big do you want the event, include all the items that you can think of that would make the event a success and worthwhile. Then check the budget and reduce the items that are not affordable. 

One might ask, Isn't both the approach the same. At the end of the day, you include the items that you can afford. 

But there is a catch. 

When we use the descending approach, we allow our mind to think of things that we might not allow with the ascending approach. This forces us to want more things to be included in the event, thus forcing us to find creative ways to include these items. It forces us to find alternatives, do discussions and negotiations that we would not have done. At the end, it gives a better event with more items and better quality. 

Not only an event, anything can be done this way. Thing big and then cut back. 

As my next big fat goal, I have decided to go to Europe with my family for vacation. For those who are already in Europe, this might not be a big fat goal, but it is for me. This have made me take actions that I would not have taken otherwise. 

Goals are relative from person to person. If a goal is big enough for you, then it is good enough to be a big fat goal. Set your big fat goal and take at least one action that will move the needle toward that. 

Until next time, be legendary.!