8 Steps to Crushing Ridiculous Goals
The most notable entrepreneurs were probably laughed at for their ambitions, but they pushed through and reached success.
By Jonathan Long •
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ridiculous
adjective
1. causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable: "a ridiculous plan."
Think of the most notable entrepreneurs -- the Richard Bransons and the Elon Musks. Do you think there were people that laughed at, questioned and doubted their goals? Of course there were. Without a doubt they had family and friends, as well as complete strangers that thought their ideas were outrageous.
Successful entrepreneurs crush ridiculous goals all the time -- here are eight tips to help you reach even your most lofty goals.
1. Master easy goals first.
You have to learn how to walk before you run, and the same principle applies for goal setting. Reaching any goal, even an easy one, requires self-discipline and a never-give-up attitude. If you can't knock easy goals out of the park, you can't expect to accomplish ones that are filled with obstacles and challenges.
Related: A Foolproof Method to Achieving Targets
2. Break ridiculous goals down into several smaller goals.
Your ridiculous goals should be broken down into multiple smaller goals -- this creates a series of goals that appear to be achievable, allowing you to focus on getting every little detail completed. As you accomplish the smaller goals you see the progress first hand. This can give you the confidence to keep pushing through -- and greatly increase the chances of you reaching your end goal.
3. Be prepared to push hard through the finish line.
While working hard may sound painfully obvious, many people aren't fully aware of the effort it takes to accomplish hefty goals. Look at how many startups raise mullions of dollars in seed funding and then disappear the following year. The founders had the vision and funding -- but they didn't work hard enough to reach their goals. You could have the best idea and an endless supply of capital, but if you aren't ready to put in nonstop hard work failure is almost certain.
4. Build a team of specialists around you.
Large goals require teamwork. You can't wear every hat and expect to do everything -- it just isn't realistic. The more tasks you start to juggle -- marketing, business development, accounting, human resources, hiring, training, etc. -- the quicker it will all come crashing down. Assemble a team of experts that share your vision and will put 100 percent into their tasks to rise up and reach the goal as a team. When I first started my business I tried to do everything, and it wasn't until I understood I didn't know everything that I became better at reaching my goals.
5. Don't stall or make excuses.
The moment you start to drift off course and make excuses, the harder your goal becomes. Successful entrepreneurs don't slow down to question themselves and they don't make excuses. They believe they can accomplish the goal and they never disturb their momentum.
Related: Setting Goals: 3 Steps to Igniting Workplace Engagement
6. Accept that failure is a possibility.
If you, as an entrepreneur, let fear stop you, you wouldn't be reading this. There wouldn't be new companies trying to disrupt technology on a daily basis. A successful entrepreneur would rather fall flat on his or her face then ask themselves, "I wonder what would have happened if I tried that?" If you fail, you use it as a valuable lesson and try again.
7. Be prepared and willing to sacrifice.
Accomplishing difficult goals will require sacrifice. Everyone will have different sacrifices to make, which could include sleep, personal time, family time, pay and security. This can be uncomfortable to some, and it will get more uncomfortable as you go deeper in -- but without risk there is no reward. Ask any successful entrepreneur if they have made sacrifices and I guarantee they will tell you they have.
8. Don't ever quit.
This one doesn't need any further explanation, so I will leave you with a quote from the great Muhammad Ali.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.
Related: 5 Ways to Remind Yourself How Powerful You Really Are
