By Charlotte Kemp

If you want to succeed, pick an easy target. If you want to improve, pick an impossibly hard target.

Scott H Young (blog)

It is very satisfying to reach a goal. Truly a wonderful experience. But many top performers talk of a depression that can come on them afterwards.

Normally we struggle with goal setting because we make it too complicated. Either we make goals that we could never realistically achieve, and then give up or we give up making goals because the ones we made were so small as to be ineffectual.

But rather than setting goals as deadlines and end points, we should set them up as milestones on a journey. Consider your life as a constant opportunity to learn and grow. Aim towards an impossibly hard target and define some goals on the way – easy ones that you can celebrate. But there always needs to be another goal in mind before you reach the conclusion of the immediate one. Because if you reach a goal and there is nothing afterwards, you may feel very let down about the experience.

We cannot afford to stop learning after we leave school or varsity. The world changes too fast and we need to constantly reskill ourselves or be left behind. So even achieving the goal of a degree or qualification is no longer sufficient.

Being growth oriented means having the mindset of a constantly growing and learning individual. Someone who realizes that there is always more to learn and is willing to be taught. These are people who will enjoy a big life, a life full of satisfaction and experience and enjoyment.

This blog is an exploration of the lessons I learned when my business failed. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas, as well as your own experiences. It will eventually be published as a book – hopefully as a warning to new entrepreneurs to avoid some of these mistakes. Please see the first few posts as an introduction.