Targeting a minimum of outrageous goals
#135 - Christmas trees are popping up!
Hi there,
I’m writing you aghast at my roommate’s rating of 4 to a traditional Christmas song - it’s December and so
“IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!” 🎄
You can tell it’s near the end of term with the week I’ve had, with 2 concerts on Friday and Saturday, playing the sax and oboe respectively. A jam-packed week makes way for another, although this one is a little less sugary.
Highlight of the week: the Winter Ball with my accommodation. I relished the chance to put on my suit for a second time, dash down to a sorta-fancy London restaurant and socialise with friends new and old less new. The loudness of music was made up for the fuzzy feeling of knowing lots of people I could say hi to! 🙌
This week’s edition is a follow-up from the previous one about aiming high so the fall-back is very good too. Do read that one if you haven’t already.
Here are a couple of strategies on how to do this intentionally:
Minimum Target Outrageous (MTO) goals
A discovery of mine in Year 10, I loved using through my Y10 mocks, along with a friend who found it useful too (and it allowed us to one-up each other in who would guess a higher mark).
The minimum is a floor such that you’re not allowed to feel sad if you hit it.
The target is your true target, what you set out to achieve.
The outrageous allows you to reach for the sky and test your ambitions.
It seems silly at first, but it makes you think a bit more about the number/level you aim for. The goals we set for ourselves are so important, but we fail to spend enough time properly setting them.
The minimum allows you to work out what is satisfactory and ‘good enough’. Ultimately, we have limited resources in our lives and in the world, so what will allow you to move on to the next challenge?
The outrageous is an exercise in getting excited, considering what you could do if you pushed the boundaries and went for it with your absolute all.
SMART + ER
When it comes to goal setting methodologies, the one which always comes to mind first is SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. This framework makes quite a bit of sense, but it doesn’t
a. give you much wiggle room - and boy, do we need flexibility in our lives
b. allow for enough ambition. At Google, they aim for a success rate of 70-80%, because achieving 100% of your goals means you aren’t reaching high enough.
So, next time you use SMART to a goal, and an ExtRa dimension to it, whether that’s a larger number, a shorter time frame or a complementary goal you could achieve.
Finally, before we close, remember to set aside time to reflect, reassess and realign your goals if you need to. In the midst of pedalling towards the goal, you might miss the horizon changing or the situation allowing you to alter your goals.
I found this when I went home for the first time this term, and having the time to reassess was very useful.
When we set goals, be brave and ambitious. If it goes to plan, what an outrageously amazing life it could be and if it doesn’t, the fact you lived and breathed as though it would have will translate into beautiful outcomes too. You just have to be a bit more smart.
Video of the week 🎥
We Turned Leftover Restaurant Food Into A $162 Million/Year Business
I had the hit of my first ever ‘Too Good to Go’ bag this week, a much-needed refuelling before one of my concerts. It is a clever business model and is redefining how much food we waste, for good.
Thing I’m grateful for this week 🙏
The Maths UG Office and Naomi from the Blyth Centre, for very kindly having my suitcase in their offices on Monday morning (long story short - UK trains are fun)
Quote of the week 💬
I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be. Ken Venturi
An exciting week coming up, with 3 non-ordinary dinners - let’s all make sure to hit January well, health-wise! Doesn’t help when Costa’s free birthday treat has to be sweet 🍰
Adi