Goal setting - achiever and failure

Some people don't set goals because they're afraid of the disappointments. I have these groupmates in thesis who don't want me talking about us getting the best thesis award in our school. They tell me not to expect that much. I tell them that i'm just setting some goals so that we don't slacken up and try our very best in our work. They say i should quit bragging. But I'm not. If I could remember it right, there was a scene in Rome, HBO's mini-series, between comrades Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar. With only a handful of men against an army 5 times greater than his, Mark Anthony warned Caesar about the situation before starting another war. Caesar boastfully declared that if somebody opposes him again he will CRUSH them. Mark Anthony said it is only "hubris" or exagerated pride. Julius Caesar replied, "It's only hubris if I FAIL".

I think people set goals that are too broad and then they seem unobtainable. I think the key is setting several smaller goals and reaching them before moving on to the next. Baby steps! If the goals are too broad they take too long and people think they are pointless. There is nothing worse than setting a goal and then not being able to come close. How discouraging! I guess that's the problem with New Year's resolutions and things like that too.

I think many people have unrealistic goals in mind when they set them. Perhaps, people only set goals when they feel something is wrong in their life, and wish to change it. If people were generally content, they miight only wish to make small changes, and would set achieveble goals for themselves. Good luck, achieving your ambitions.