Compromise or being realistic?

I have always wondered what is the difference between being compromising and being realistic or practical. We all say that one should never compromise in life, but what is a compromise? Consider this example; I say to myself that the next girl I sleep with should be Priyanka Chopra. Now if I sleep with another girl, am I compromising? Or am I being realistic and practical as I have a better chance of becoming India’s Prime Minister than sleeping with Priyanka. The reason why I chose this example is to emphasize on what is realistic and what is not.  

In life there are many occasions where we have to take decisive decisions. One of the main things that creep into our mind while taking a decision is whether we are compromising or not. Most of the time, as the narcissists that we are, we forget what is a compromise. Compromise happens when we set standards for ourselves and we fail to meet those standards. Now what if the standard we set for our self is too high? Now there is a point of view that nothing is out of reach. Now even if it’s true is it practical in this world. Is it viable for one to stick to a particular path, no matter what, even though there is another path which is more reachable?  Even if nothing is impossible should one spend way too much time than normal to get there? Doesn’t the amount of time spent chasing the dream make any difference to the dream itself? 

The answers to the above questions, I don’t know. The reason that these things came to my mind is because I am in a predicament. I had set a certain goal for myself (short term) and was not able to achieve it even after taking twice the "normal" or the preferred amount of time. Was my goal too unrealistic for me or should I postpone my goal or should I lower my expectations, well these are questions to which I guess there is no correct answer. Am I compromising if I alter my goal? Was my goal too unrealistic to be achieved at this point in time? 

People will have short term goals and long term goals. Short term goals might be the various steps that are required for reaching ones ultimate goal. A person might plan out on how he will reach his ultimate goal. I feel that the ultimate goal is more important than the various intermediate steps taken to reach it. The ultimate goal that a person has is the meaning of that person’s life. Ultimate goal may or may not be achieved, even if it’s achieved it will be towards the later part of ones life. To enhance ones chances of achieving his/her ultimate goal, I feel that too much unnecessary time and importance should not be given to various intermediate steps that are to be taken to reach the goal. If there are two ways of doing a task and if the first option doesn’t work, we should always be open to the second option (as long as there is no drastic decrease in standard) instead of spending more than the necessary time on the first option.  

Whether the conclusion I came to is right or not, I dont know. I might change my point of view a couple of months down the road. I guess no one will ever have a correct answer to the question. I guess all must judge themselves honestly and objectively and have a measure of ones ability. Its one thing to aim high at every point in life, but at the same time one must be realistic also. I feel that going for a wild goose chase is pointless. I also feel that every dream should have a realistic time limit. If the time required goes beyond that, one should always seriously consider plan B or C. Now am I being pessimistic or realistic is a topic for another debate.