Roadblocks to Success – Setting the Bar Too Low

20 Jan Roadblocks to Success – Setting the Bar Too Low

Often times, we are own worst critics. This can be good if it pushes you to do better each day, but it can be harmful if it leads to underestimating your potential.

When we embark on a new business endeavor or start to tackle a long term goal, it’s natural to have some fears. Fears and doubts are a normal part of the thinking process. They help you to make wise decisions. But, what if your fears are louder than you logic?

By underestimating yourself, you’re holding yourself back from reaching your goals. Of course, we all need to admit there are some things that we won’t ever be able to accomplish, but these things are the minority. The vast majority of goals are within your reach.

Sometimes the voices of fear point to past failures as evidence. However don’t let this argument fool you into setting the bar to low. Your past failures can make you wise if you learn from them instead of dwelling on them.

Setting the bar too low can be tempting. It’s an easy win with no risk of the ugly “F” word: Failure. Many people reason that low expectations can mean less disappointment, but the truth is that low expectations mean never discovering exactly how much you can accomplish.

Linda and Charlie Bloom, educators and relationship therapists cited a great example of not setting the bar to low in their article in Psychology Today:

“Prior to Roger Banister's breaking of the four-minute mile in 1954, it was deemed impossible for a human being to achieve that feat. Almost immediately after his accomplishment, other runners joined the sub-four-minute mile club. Within a decade, several hundred runners had done what ten years previously had been seen as impossible. Such is the power of expectations.”

Do you want to settle for mediocrity or do you want to find out just how great things can become?