What do you and this adorable little fellow have in common? You might be biting off more than you can chew! 

If you struggle with setting realistic goals, this habit hack is for you. Did you miss the first two habit hacks? You can find them here and here

For this habit challenge, set a goal for yourself you know you can achieve this week– not in a month, and not through unrealistic means, but this week. Make sure it’s something you can attain by working towards it regularly at a sustainable rate. Some examples:

  • “I will memorize two more parts of my new tune.”
  • “I will practice scales every time I warm up.”
  • “I will listen to new music that inspires me every time before I practice.”

Tell us your bite-sized goals in the comments!

Often, when people set goals, they think of their loftiest aspirations:

  • “I’ll learn a new language.”
  • “I’ll shred at the gym for an hour every morning at 5.”
  • “I’ll place well in a fiddle contest.”

But those goals seem a little different when you look at the big picture:

  • “I’ll learn a new language before my cousin’s wedding in Mexico next month.”
  • “I’ll shred at the gym for an hour every morning at 5, even though I go to bed at midnight and I haven’t been to the gym in years.”
  • “I’ll place well in a fiddle contest, even though I just started playing this year.”

Now they sound a little… harder, shall we say? Actually, I think the word would be unrealistic. There’s a difference between the two: when something’s hard, you know you can get there with dedicated work. When something’s unrealistic, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, no matter how much crazed effort you put into it.

So here’s the trick: you can make your goals hard, but don’t make them unrealistic. 

When you consistently take on small challenges, you can do hard things while still being realistic about your expectations. After doing this for a long time, the things that were once unrealistic will be within your reach. 

To sum it up: I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t aspire to awesome, sky-scraping goals. I’m just telling you that the way there is by a staircase, not an elevator.

What small step can you set as a goal this week? Tell us below!