Goals have to evolve with you. They should be neither absurdly out of reach nor easily within reach. In either case, your motivation will be stalled by the uselessness of your goals.
Keep your goals far enough away that you need to keep trying but close enough that you can someday reach them.
In 1978 Kumiko Watanuki had her career goal set on eventually running the Iranian division of at&t. Then revolution engulfed the country. She found herself forced out of the country and having to start over in the New York office, without any map for the future.
She set out to create a new career plan and capitalized on the advantages of being back in the United States. “I had the chance now to pursue a master’s degree that the company would pay for, and I had access to company personnel I never could have met working half a world away.”
Advancement to the upper echelon of the company did not seem likely, however, and Kumiko realized her international experience could be put to better use. Today, she runs a company that advises on international trade matters.
“I worked with a five-year plan of what I needed to do and what I wanted to accomplish. I’ve followed it, even though I had to take some detours, and I’m right where I want to be. I made my career plan an integral part of my life.”
Research on recent college graduates finds that 70 percent react to negative early experiences in the workplace by becoming defensive about their abilities. Because they shun feedback in the aftermath of a setback at work, they have trouble adapting their outlook and habits to help them succeed.
Trope and Pomerantz 1998