Every time we set a realistic goal for ourselves, we are meeting a challenge head on. We know we have work to do and we know the only way to meet the challenge is to set the goal and then succeed at achieving it.
Goal achievement is all about meeting the challenge, rising to the occasion, making sh** happen, or whatever you want to call it. But… Of course there’s a “but…” The problem is that we can be unrealistic about where we are at today. Knowing what your start line looks like is the first step in setting a goal and figuring out how to get to the finish line. If I don’t know how far I have to run, how far I’ve already run, or what the course looks like, I’m going to have a heck of a time figuring out how to get to the finish line. Realistic goal setting starts with having a crystal clear picture of where you are today.
The Value of Brutal Honesty
I think goal setting requires some brutal honesty with ourselves. Since this is a dog training blog, at least in part, let’s use this as an example. Imagine I have this beautiful, amazing dog. He is an angel. Let’s call him Charlie. I cannot imagine my life without Charlie. I want to give him the best life ever. I want to take him to the dog park, because I hear that is heaven on earth for little angels like him.
My goal is defined: I’m going to take Charlie to the dog park. Seems simple enough, right? But back up a second… Where am I starting from? I need to meet the challenge where it is. In this case, the challenge might be a cute little monster named Charlie. If Charlie barks like a maniac every time he sees a dog, growls when they get within 10 feet of them, and never comes when I call him, going to the dog park might be just a wee bit of a bad idea.
What Clouds Your Vision?
If I can’t see where I’m starting from when I set my goal, I’m in trouble. If my goal is to take Charlie to the dog park, but my vision is clouded by my love for him, my unrealistic ideas about how dogs should react to each other, or by just the every day distractions that keep me from truly looking, I’m going to set him up for failure. He might get hurt, he might hurt another dog, or he might become even more reactive to other dogs.
Where Is the Dog At?
I’ve had to meet the challenge where it’s at over and over again with the shelter dogs I work with. For example, I go in knowing that the dog needs to work on his leash skills, because he’s dragging staff and volunteers around. I have this idea in my head of how I am going to help him with that. But first, I have to know where he’s at. Is he stressed? Is he shut down? Has he ever done any training at all? Is training even an option or do I need to just help him cope? I can have every training plan in the world ready to go, but if he isn’t ready or able to train, I have to throw that out the window. I have to know where we are starting from, and I have to help him get to a point where training is even possible for him. I have to be brutally honest with myself about how that pup is handling his environment and how much my skills can or cannot help the situation in that moment. I have to meet the dog where he is at.
Get Realistic: Questions to Ask Yourself
So, how do I know how to meet the challenge where it’s at right now, this very moment? How about asking yourself some questions:
- What have I/we already done to meet my goal? Anything?
- If I had to try to meet that goal today, what would it look like? Would I kind of be able to wing it? Do I have some skills built or would I bumble around? In other words, am I starting from scratch?
- Is the goal I’ve set something that will be fun for me (and/or my dog)? Or do I just feel like I should do it?
- If I start today, am I going to be able to meet the goal within this lifetime? We all have big dreams and we all have big goals. That’s great – really! How much time and effort is it going to take to get there? Is that realistic for my life right now?
- Is my goal well-defined? Remember how we talked about that picture in our mind? How different is the picture in your mind from the view from where you are sitting right now?
If you know exactly where you are starting from, what tools you already have at your disposal, and what the challenge is ahead of you to reach the goal you have set, watch out world! As you plan your steps to success, knowing where your starting line is will make all the difference as far as charting your path. It’s hard to have a plan if you don’t know where you are starting from. Be honest. Maybe literally take a picture or a video of your starting point. Or at least take it in your head. Be brave and truthful when you look at it. Take some time to think about the status as of today – it’s the only way to know how to get to the goal.
Your Turn: Where are you at today? What challenge do you want to meet? Are you ready to meet it where it’s at?