Incremental Goals

A New Year’s resolution is the time when we attempt to become a better version of ourselves. Every December 31st, we sit with fresh hope, writing down goals and targets. We have these aspirations, and we look forward to them. But how often do we really stick to it? How often do we complete the goals that we list on the night of December 31st? The truth is, most of the resolutions do not fail because they lack ambition. They fail because we overestimate things and think change happens overnight. We often forget the power of slow and steady effort.

Dreaming big is not the problem. Planning and aspiring are not the problem. The real issue is honesty. Real progress begins when we are honest with ourselves. Change does not happen in a single moment of motivation. It happens through small, achievable steps each day, which become big enough over time to add up to something meaningful.

Let me give you an example from my own experience. As a computer science student, I figured out early that the course curriculum alone was not enough. To truly stand out in today’s market, you need to build skills beyond what is taught in class. But in the beginning, this brought me more confusion than realisation. I had no clear direction and was completely confused about my goals. I didn’t know what I should improve or where I should focus my energy. 

So I began trying everything, which included data structures and algorithms, coding, scripting, hack the box, and several other paths. There were too many options, and I was unsure which one aligned with my true goals. So instead of helping me to grow, this scattered approach made it very hard to focus. I wasn’t really progressing in any one direction, and most of my efforts went in vain.

That experience made me realise something very important. Having many goals doesn't make you perfect. You need clarity. When your goal is not defined, you will try doing everything and end up achieving nothing. When I tried doing everything at once, it just made me deluged, which made me do nothing productive. The real change came when I realised how crucial it is to pick one goal at a time and follow it. You don't have to think out your entire future at once to choose a goal. 

It entails choosing what you want to work on at the moment and devoting all of your efforts to it. Once that goal is set in your mind, then every little thing you do matters, and it turns out to be something meaningful. So, now instead of trying to do everything at once, I set an achievable goal and do it constantly over time, which turns into real progress. Over time, those small efforts build confidence, direction, and results.

In the end, goals only become meaningful when you break them into pieces and achieve every single one of them, one step at a time. Yes, we should dream big, but also not try to overwhelm yourselves doing everything. Setting realistic goals is a must. So next time you write down your resolutions on December 31st, count how many you actually achieved at the end of the year.