James Short

You’ve probably heard that goals should scare you a little and excite you a lot. So true! There are two more things to consider – are they attainable, and are they authentic?

Creativity is the life force flowing through each one of us. When we reach for a goal, we are creating a new reality for ourselves. This is why it’s so exciting and motivating to go for a goal. But the creative flow can be halted if goals aren’t chosen wisely. If it’s too big, you’ll be overwhelmed. If it’s too easy, you won’t be motivated.

And is the goal authentic to who you really are? Setting a goal that doesn’t ring true to you, just to please your family for example, is a goal that’s going to wear you into the ground with resentment. Life is too short to squander your time trying to achieve what other people think you should achieve. Go for what makes YOUR heart sing. Your goals have to speak to YOUR values and passions.

Here’s how to choose the goals that light the fire beneath you and are true to who you are.

1. Begin by writing down the goals that reflect your passion(s). Don’t judge anything you come up with. If a thought related to your passions pops into your head, it’s there for a reason. Don’t discount it. Write it down.

For example, let’s say you want to be a photographer. You would write something like, “take inspirational photos, learn Photoshop, be a successful wedding photographer, put together a coffee table book, learn new studio portrait techniques, etc.”

If you also have other goals, put those goals down on their own separate pages. Above all, trust your instincts and don’t second-guess yourself.

2. Next, under each goal you wrote, break it down into smaller goals. For example, “take inspirational photos” might be broken down into 1. do night photography of the full moon; 2. go to the homeless shelter and do a shoot of the volunteers.

3. If you’re like most of us you’ve got a job, possibly a family, and plenty of obligations that threaten to get in the way of your goal. So under each smaller goal, write down what you can do every day for a maximum of 30 minutes, to make that happen. For example, do night photography of the full moon: 1. find out when the full moon is and reschedule social obligations, 2. prepare equipment, 3. scout out inspiring locations. Do you see how easy it’s suddenly become to achieve this smaller goal? One day you look at the calendar and mark down the dates of the full moon and reschedule any social obligations that may interfere. That’s it! That’s all! Of course if you want to do more, by all means do it. But by breaking your small goals down into micro-goals, you keep the momentum going and stay focused and motivated.

Do this with each of the goals you’ve dreamt up.

But before you spring into action, are these goals all authentic! After you’ve broken each one of them down into micro-goals, ask yourself which one(s) are the most magnetic. Which ones can’t you wait to get started on?

Choose the one that jumps up and shouts, “pick me!” There’s always one goal that stands out from the rest. Focus your energy and passion on it. Remember, you are creating, and the life force will flow strongly through you.

And one more thing before you start on your chosen goal.

Write who or what inspired you to want to do this. You might write down the names of famous photographers; books you’ve read; exhibits you’ve seen. Basically what you want to do is mentally put yourself in their league. So what if you can’t do it right now! It’s essential to plant the seed and start creating the mental image/feelings of your desired result.

If your goal is attainable, authentic, a little scary and very exciting, GO FOR IT!

Inspired by a blog on musiciansway.com by Gerald Klickstein