Life in the Navajo Nation: Setting Goals vs. Achieving Goals, Continued
July 6, 2010Daniel No Comments »
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
After reading this post by my brother on excellence, I thought of a common problem faced by people who get serious about goal-setting: others think they are “weird” or “lame” or “ridiculous” or “overly ambitious” for putting their goals down in writing.
My older sister went to college in Australia, and she told me about a phenomenon called Tall Poppy Syndrome. Here’s its Wikipedia definition:
Tall poppy syndrome (TPS) is a pejorative term used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticized because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers.
In other words, it’s a case of sour grapes which causes TPS sufferers to view the pursuit of greatness with disdain.
But if we allow others’ opinion of us to define us– and in so doing seek the applause of the world– we essentially place our happiness in the hands of others.
I like Daniel Amen’s 18/40/60 Rule:
“When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t care what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”
At the end of the day, goal-setting is not about being better than others, nor is it about achieving more amazing things than others.
It’s about cultivating a spirit of excellence; it’s about being better than who you were yesterday; it’s about being the best you can be. Goal-setting is about doing your best– which is far more important than being the best.
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