How to NOT Self-Sabotage Long Term Goals
Yesterday I shared that my biggest problem with goal setting is my use of extreme sacrifices to pursue my goals. As it turns out, this is a problem I share with several other people I know. Talking with a few of my friends over chat about this motivated me to dig more into this topic.
The fact is, by using extreme sacrifices to achieve short-term goals you are self-sabotaging long term goals.
It’s one thing to make extreme sacrifices to achieve a goal for a one time deadline or event. It’s totally different when extreme sacrifices are the foundation for a long journey. By definition, extreme sacrifices are not sustainable. It’s not healthy over the long term to continually sacrifice things such as:
- sleep
- time with family and friends
- recovery time
- and most importantly, balance.
Avoid Extreme Sacrifices When Pursuing These Three Types of Goals
Many of life’s most important long term goals fall within four categories:
- Health
- Wealth
- Knowledge
- Greatness / Historical Significance
I believe the most important takeaway is that using extreme sacrifices to pursue goals related to these four areas is the equivalent of trying to sprint a marathon. Yes, you may get the lead at the start of the race. However, you will quickly burnout.
The fact that you can predict this burnout and choose to do it anyway is self-sabotage. If you want to avoid this self-sabotage then you must find a sustainable rhythm that you can maintain over the long run.