Achievable vs. realistic goals

Later doesn't mean never

All realistic goals are achievable, but not all achievable goals are realistic.

Some argue an MBA isn’t valuable, because you could learn the material, such as accounting, for free online. I’d argue that’s confusing a merely achievable goal for a realistic one. In theory, yes. One could eschew golf every Saturday for six months to learn accounting. For fun. Deferred tax liabilities, here we come!

But would most people actually do this on their own?

Learning accounting on one’s own is achievable, but for most, it’s probably not realistic. What is realistic is learning it on the job or in a degree program, where there are appropriate incentives and structures. There are limits to one’s self-discipline.

The good news: with practice, planning, and the right resources, most merely achievable goals can become realistic ones.

For me, starting a business was always that one goal that felt achievable, but not realistic. A few years ago, I’d often try to convince myself that I had enough savings to try something out for 1-2 years. But even that felt beyond my risk tolerance. Achievable on paper, but not realistic. Yet.

To improve my odds, I decided to go back to graduate school. I’m fortunate to attend Columbia, where dozens of advisors, professors, and classmates have nudged me into pursuing entrepreneurship. Structured classes and accelerator programs have held me accountable. And the presence of a suitable fallback option—gainful employment!—has preserved my confidence. The achievable goal has become a realistic one, and this summer I’m pursuing my startup full-time.

There is no shame in admitting you might not be ready for a goal yet. “Readiness” is not permanently tattooed on your forehead. If there is something you feel is achievable at some point in your life, but not realistic right now, I guarantee there are ways to improve its feasibility. The key is to avoid letting later become never.

One of my favorite psychological concepts is the “end of history illusion”. It states that we tend to underestimate how much our goals, interests, and skills will change in the future. I think the corollary to this idea is that we tend to underestimate how many of our achievable goals will become realistic ones in the future. Amazon and TikTok have programmed us to want things now. But don’t make the mistake of forgetting/discarding goals that are unrealistic now. Keep them tucked away like seeds. Change comes quietly, and when the ground is ready, you’ll be glad you didn’t let them go.

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I hope you have a good start of your week.

-Brendan