Sometimes, people normally get discouraged when their goals take longer time to be actualized and the major cause of this is when the goal is too big. It is not the same time it takes for maize plant to mature that it will take a palm tree to mature. However, when a farmer plants a palm tree, he will need to plant some food crops in-between to sustain him till the palm tree matures. In the same way, you need to set complementary goals to keep you motivated to stay on the course for your big dreams.
It is true that dreaming big is a very good and welcomed thing but you have to understand that some of them will not be actualized immediately, some will take a while. In the interim, you need to do something while you still work on achieving the bigger goal. This is not an act of shifting focus from your big goals but a way of keeping yourself motivated. As you achieve the smaller goals and celebrate them, it will release within you the energy to keep giving a shot at the bigger dreams.
Someone may dream of becoming a world-class footballer, instead of waiting to get the attention of a major league side, he can attach himself to a local league; maybe a village league and as he gets there, it will move him closer to achieving his bigger dreams. You see, his own mini dream is to get accepted into the local league which will be easier to get, and then he will keep working towards the bigger one.
Sometimes, the mini dreams can come from parts of the bigger dreams. For example; you can break your bigger dream into segments and pursue them one after the other. The idea here is to increase both your effectiveness and your efficiency, and of course to save yourself from discouragement. Setting an insane goal for yourself within an unimaginable timeframe will only turn your dreams into "mission impossible".
You have to first understand that your abilities are not omnipotent and as such, you have to set goals that are realistic. If your first step is met with discouragement, the other steps may be affected. Sometimes, you will need to start from where you are and with small steps, then you will have bigger steps as you go. This is why you start your car from gear 1 before ascending into other gears.
In the pursuit of your bigger dreams, you need to stay motivated. This is why mini goals are highly encouraged. When you achieve one, the joy from celebrating it will provide you with the zeal to pursue the second mini goal and on and on until you are face-to-face with the big dream.
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