Setting goals and expectations for yourself can be a useful tool for both professional and personal growth. However, we need to be mindful of these expectations because they can also alter our perception of ourselves and others. Have you ever wondered whether your expectations are really helping you? Here are some of the questions that may help you find out:
- Do you feel motivated when you think about your goals and expectations? Or do you feel more stressed and anxious thinking about it?
- Do you feel you have lots of critical thoughts about yourself and your surrounding?
- Have you developed a roadmap on how to achieve your goals? How much time and resources can you reliably put towards achieving these goals?
- Do you feel irritated and frustrated quickly when things don’t go as planned, or when others don’t fall in line with your plan?
It’s good to challenge and improve yourself from time to time, but it’s also important to make sure we are kind to ourselves, appreciative of what we already have achieved, and be flexible. It’s totally OK to ditch a goal, so long as we can clearly articulate why we are changing course.