When Setting Goals, Be Unreasonable

As I put the finishing touches on my 2017 business plan and corresponding Statement of Intention, I am reminding myself of one of the most important concepts in goal setting: One must be totally, completely, out-there wackadoo.

Back when I was getting my Business Management degree, I learned about S.M.A.R.T. goals. This was the memorable and oh-so-practical recipe for attaining success: any goal worth having, it was argued, should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based.

It's just that I never liked the R. It was too…reasonable. Boring. Expected. Who wants to be realistic??! Ugh. Don’t we have enough realism in the world? Isn’t it time to play outside of reality for a bit?

In that spirit, my professional goals in the coming year are utterly outrageous (think 250% growth outrageous). While I can convincingly describe how I can (and WILL) legitimately reach my target revenue – the largest number I have ever had the cajones to tell another human soul in my life – it is still well beyond what “normal” business minds would consider a reasonable growth goal.

And that is why it is perfect.