The app that I use for writing, writinganalytics.co, keeps trying to give me badges for things I don’t care about.

“You’re on a streak!” it says, when I manage to write for two days in a row. Animated confetti fills the screen. I impatiently click through to get on with my life. Streaks are overrated.

Yes, habits are important. The routines that facilitate habits are vital. But doing something every single day? Worse, tracking the number of days in a row that I’ve done the thing? I don’t need that kind of pressure.

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Over the years, some of my students have affectionately called me the “dream crusher.”

I don’t mean to tell kids they can’t do things. As a matter of fact, I believe so strongly in my students’ ability to achieve their dream that I want to help them to separate fantasy from reality and get clear on what’s actually possible.

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It’s a weird thing to be cast in the role of naysayer on someone’s journey to greatness.

I believe that people can achieve great things if they have the belief in their ability to do so and a strong plan to back it up.

However, having only the belief isn’t always enough. The enthusiasm and motivation will peter out with repeated exposure to hardship if a person isn’t prepared for that.

As a teacher and coach, I’ve sometimes been the one to suggest that someone modify their plan or pursue an incremental goal on the way to the massive, ground-breaking, world-shaking achievement they are seeking. These suggestions are not always welcome. My character is definitely not making it to the second act when this story is turned into a movie.

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Sometimes, we get attached to a particular goal that we think we have to reach.

Perhaps this goal has been with us for so long that we don’t even question whether it is something we want to achieve -- it’s become our destiny.

The “why” behind a goal like this might be simply, “Because I feel like it.” Sometimes, asking “why” becomes an obstacle to doing something challenging (“I have to figure out why I have this resistance to asking for a raise”) or a needless distraction (“I have to figure out why I don’t like going to kids’ birthday parties”) or can only become clearer as you move forward (“Why do I love Busby Berkley musicals so much?”).

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Jerry Seinfeld, when asked about his method for success in comedy, shared a very simple strategy: He wrote new material every day. In order to accomplish this, he drew a big red X on his wall calendar for every day he wrote. A day without an X became unthinkable.

“Don’t break the chain!” he said. In other words, keep that streak going — do whatever it takes to earn that X.

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