What Are Unrealistic Goals and What You Should Do With Them?

On the one hand, you hear people saying that you should believe that anything is possible and that you can make all of your dreams come true. Others are saying that you should be realistic and not waste your time going after dreams that are practically impossible. So how can you know what goals are unrealistic and what you should really go after?

First of all, I want to say that there is nothing wrong with having dreams and setting big goals for yourself, even if they sound crazy or are very difficult to achieve. But I also want you to set the right goals for yourself. That means goals that you truly want to reach and are willing to work for.

Many different things can make goals unrealistic. And just because something seems unrealistic doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. So what really is an unrealistic goal? How to know whether your goals are realistic or not? Is it ok to have unrealistic goals?

Keep reading to find out and to figure out what you should do with your goals!

Are unrealistic goals impossible goals?

When people claim that your goals are unrealistic and you need to “get real”, they probably think that very few people achieve the goals you have in mind or they don’t see you as someone who has a good chance at achieving those goals.

In other words, they think that it’s unlikely that you will reach your goals. That’s far away from impossible.

Impossible goals would be goals that you literally have no chance of achieving, like getting taller or moving to Mars. But just because something is unlikely to happen, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And at the end of the day, it’s your call whether you want to take your chances at working for something that is very difficult to achieve.

What are examples of unrealistic goals?

What kind of goals are not realistic then? As I already mentioned, there are many different things that could make a goal unrealistic. The level of competition could be extremely high, you might not have any of the needed skills right now or perhaps pursuing the goal you have in mind requires a lot of money.

Some examples of unrealistic goals are:

– Becoming a rich and famous Hollywood actor

– Becoming fluent in a new language in a couple of months

– Becoming a billionaire

– Finding the love of your life in a month

– Getting into a top law school with little effort

None of these examples are technically impossible, but they are very unlikely to happen. For your goal to be realistic, you have to take into account your current situation in life, your skills, how much time and money you need, and how much work you need to put in.

If you are serious about any big goal, whether it’s learning to speak Chinese fluently or becoming a billionaire, you have to know exactly what you want and you have to be realistic about what it takes to get there. You can’t earn a billion dollars in almost any job. They just don’t pay that well.

So to become that rich, you either have to marry someone rich or more likely create a product that has the potential to become so needed and popular among millions of people that you can earn that much money. It is of course very difficult, but if you are willing to go all in on your goal, one day you might succeed.

Are unrealistic goals good?

Obviously unrealistic goals aren’t easy to achieve, but they also aren’t impossible. And one important thing to understand about life is that while you sometimes end up somewhere way else than you intended, that can be a good thing.

Perhaps you won’t become a billionaire, but because you work really hard and aim in that direction, you’ll become a multimillionaire. It’s definitely better than nothing.

Unrealistic goals can interestingly enough be beneficial to you in other ways too. Working for big and difficult goals means that you have to learn to step out of your comfort zone and overcome your fear of failure, and you also have to be able to push negative emotions aside and just do what you have to do when you have to do it. You might become very efficient and confident and possibly learn some valuable skills too.

Many things in life are much easier than they first seem. You might get much further much faster than you thought. And it never hurts to believe in yourself and have a specific reason to get up in the morning.

Why do people set unrealistic goals?

Often people set unrealistic goals because they don’t really know what they want, they don’t understand what it would take for them to reach those goals, and because they don’t know how to set achievable goals.

We tend to idolize people who have done something extraordinary and the more invested we are in them, the more we might think that we should and can do the same. Just because Bill Gates seems interesting and relatable to you doesn’t necessarily mean that you too can start a multinational technology company that revolutionizes personal computers. I’m not saying you can’t do that, but it will definitely be a challenge.

People also often focus so much on the desired results that they fail to take into consideration what kind of changes they need to make to get there. Having unrealistic expectations can easily lead to unrealistic goals.

Should you let go of the goals that you are unlikely to reach?

If you dream of something that is barely attainable, you might be wondering whether it’s worth it to even try to make it happen. On the other hand, just because a goal is very difficult to reach, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. It’s your own choice whether you want to put in the time and effort to try and see how far you can go.

It’s never a bad thing to set goals, even giant, scary goals. They will take a lot of hard work and sacrifices, but one day you might succeed. And if not, at least you’ll learn something, and next time when you set a goal, you’ll have a better chance of achieving it.

Just think about what Jeff Bezos did for example. He started an online bookstore back in the 1990s and now he’s one of the richest people in the world. Who would’ve guessed? Perhaps you have slightly smaller goals than becoming the richest person in the world, but if you are crazy enough to think that you can succeed, who’s to say you can’t?

And in the long run, it might very well work out in your favor to at least try and see how high you can climb. You don’t even know your own full potential yet. Just make sure that you don’t set vague goals that you aren’t even serious about. You need to know exactly what you want and how much you’re willing to work for it.

How to deal with someone else who has unrealistic goals?

If your partner, friend, or family member is the one who has really big, or in your eyes unrealistic goals, you might be wondering whether you should talk with them or should you just let them do their thing.

Generally speaking, adults have every right to spend their lives as they please. But of course, if you are in a relationship, your partner’s plans heavily affect you and your own goals in life too. No one has the right to put your life and future at risk. If that’s what’s happening and you don’t agree with it, you need to talk with them.

But if that’s not the case, you don’t necessarily have much power over their plans. Maybe they won’t reach that particular goal they have in mind, but they might still achieve something and learn a new skill or two. If they are the ones carrying the weight of the risk, it’s their own choice.

How to make your unrealistic goals realistic?

If you have big dreams and want to make sure that you are setting realistic and actually attainable goals, there are a few things you should do.

One of the most important things when it comes to goal setting is that you know exactly what it is that you want. What exactly is your goal? When are you planning on achieving it? How are you going to work for it? What do you need to do on a daily basis to make enough progress?

You have to make sure that you’re setting a manageable goal. Create a long to-do list of all the things you need to do for your goal and then figure out how much you can do every day to progress as fast as possible. You want to have a detailed action plan you can follow and a clear routine, so that you always know what you should do and so that you don’t waste any time.

It’s also good to keep in mind that just because a goal seems far-fetched right now, it might become easier to achieve later on when you have more experience or more money. Believe in yourself and your ability to take yourself to the next level and then again to the next level. Even small steps will slowly but surely take you forward and sometimes great things happen faster than you thought.

Conclusion

Unrealistic goals aren’t necessarily unattainable and you have every right to spend your life as you wish. If you want to reach for the moon, go for it. One of the major reasons why people don’t reach their biggest goals is that they are too afraid to even try.

But if you don’t mind working hard or taking big risks, this could be an exciting journey for you. Then again if you most of all want a normal, comfortable life, maybe you want to set smaller, more realistic goals. That’s fine too.

Whatever goal you decide on, don’t be afraid to take the first step. You could make a lot of progress by next month and have a completely different life by next year. Sometimes life can really surprise you.

What kind of dreams and goals do you have? Do you want to go after crazy big goals or settle for something more realistic? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Next, go find out what is the most likely consequence of unrealistic goals!

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