Counterpoint: Your Long Term Goals Should “NOT” be Realistic
I’m not the type of person who goes through life wearing rose colored glasses. On the other hand, I also wouldn’t call myself a realist either. As many entrepreneurs who have changed the world have said, “realism is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of pessimism.”
With that said, just like many things in life, balance is the key. A mindset that balances both realism and idealism as well as optimism and pessimism is a healthy mindset. This is how you should approach your goals.
Long term goals should be at one end of the spectrum, while short term goals should be at the other. By now you know which side I am going to say each belongs, but for the sake of clarity let me state it plainly.
By definition, it doesn’t make sense to be pessimistic with your long term goals. Correspondingly, it doesn’t make sense to be a realist either. Both of these less than optimistic mindsets are better applied to the short term, if at all. One could argue why it makes sense to be realistic with your daily, weekly, or maybe even monthly or yearly goals. However, when you start looking at goals 3, 5 and 10 years out, it’s worthwhile to dream.
So much can change in the world in 3 years for example. There is nothing stopping your wildest dreams from manifesting themselves in these longer term time horizons. Forget being realistic with your long term goals, and instead be idealistic. Your long term goals should never reflect who you are now, what you are currently capable of, and the limited possibilities of today. If you choose to do that, why even waste time with creating the goal in the first place.