Great, Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals

If you have accommodated yourself to have low expectations, then the only thing that will happen is that expectations will get lower.  

What you focus on, does in fact, truly grow.  It is a goofy little Buddhist mantra, but that doesn't make it any less true. 

A focus on getting by; avoiding poor results really only has two possible outcomes, both negative.  The first is the desire of avoiding the negative takes over the desire to attain the spectacular.  When poor results occur, the focus will shift on making sure to avoid those same results, thus, creating a more myopic focus on the dodging the pain.  The second possible outcome is a redefinition of success.  If negative outcomes can be avoided easily, the bar should be lowered.  Can these low expectations be attained cheaper? Faster? Easier?

The antidote is to focus on Great, Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.  GBHAG's create the opportunity for more distributed success.

GBHAG's should always be the first thought when the welfare of others in at stake.  In fact, if you have any capacity at all to do so, you have a moral imperative to always keep GBHAG's as a target and walk away from an ethic that thrives by avoiding bad things.