Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Wells
I am a newbie to aikido and i have been told to set a real high goal i should aim for. The question is how high should i set it?
Shihan? Shidoin? im not sure how high is to high 
Shodan is the one that i feel i should set my goal at but i dont know if that is high enough.
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Like anything else, I think that you should choose something that's high enough to challenge, but not so high that it's unrealistic (and you'll get discouraged) or too easy that you get bored (and quit).
For example, I run - if I set my goal at 200 miles a week it's likely that I'd get frustrated and quit because it's an unrealistic goal. OTOH, if I set the goal at 1 mile a week it's likely that I'll get bored and not continue because the regime is too light for me.
So I set a goal that I can achieve with difficulty, but makes me work, and one that is not so hard that I won't be able to achieve it if I work hard.
A hint, once you set a goal try to never back down from that goal. Back down once and it just gets easier to back down the next time. That's why choosing a goal of an appropriate level is important.
I often set myself a goal of studying a particular thing - for example, a certain kind of footwork, for a period of time. 6 months, a year, whatever's appropriate.
Best,
Chris