A limiting mindset does not always feel limiting. Very often, it feels practical.
In a recent coaching session, a salesperson was setting his targets. The coach asked how he viewed the familiar idea: “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you land among the stars.”
He rejected it immediately. He preferred to be practical and set realistic targets.
His response raised a common tension: should we aim high and risk missing, or stay realistic and make sure we achieve the target?
The question back was simple: If you always hit your target, is it really a target?
A Target Should Challenge Who You Are Becoming
A meaningful target is not designed merely to confirm what you can already do. It should challenge who you are becoming.
The issue is not whether realism is valuable. It is the intention behind the target. If someone avoids a higher target because they fear missing it, that decision may not be practical—it may be self-protection. If they choose a result they already know they can achieve, the goal may be comfort rather than growth.
This distinction matters in professional performance. A target should provide clarity and create productive tension. It should require a person to think differently, act differently and explore methods they would not otherwise consider.
In other words, the target should reveal that the person’s current approach is not enough to reach the desired result. That is precisely where development begins.
Adjust the Method Before Lowering the Target
Athletes do not automatically lower their target every time they fall short. They review their preparation, technique and strategy. Then they adjust their methods and try again.
In everyday life, people often do the opposite. They lower the target to match who they are today and describe the decision as being realistic.
There may be valid reasons to revise a goal when circumstances or evidence change. But discomfort alone is not proof that the goal is wrong. Before reducing it, it is worth asking:
Am I responding to genuine constraints, or protecting myself from the possibility of falling short?
The limitation may not be ability. It may be the way possibility has been defined.
Setting a target that requires growth does not guarantee immediate success. It does, however, change the questions we ask, the methods we explore and the person we must become in the process.
Otherwise, it is like stepping on the accelerator with the handbrake on: there is movement, but never as much progress as could have been possible.
At PLUS Mindset Academy, individual coaching helps professionals examine limiting assumptions, strengthen performance and pursue meaningful growth with greater clarity.
This article expands on an original insight shared by Sharon Tan. Read the original LinkedIn discussion.
