I’m incredibly fortunate. I’ve got to a point now where I make enough money to support me. At this point, my day-to-day contentment with what I do is more important to me than making me more money.
That puts me in a rather interesting position where I don’t want to set myself strict goals.
The thing is, ambitious goals are brilliant for pushing you and getting you to places you wouldn’t otherwise have gotten to. But they can also be a source of stress. They can put pressure on you. That’s the nature of goals.
Richard Koch says you should impose tight deadlines to force you to do more in less time, which is great in theory. But in reality, that creates stress.
All of this can be a good thing when you’ve got a big goal in mind. For instance, setting tough goals and really pushing yourself when you’re trying to quit your job can all be worth it. Quitting that job can be worth the stress and hassle.
But I’ve got myself into a position where the stress of strict goals is no longer worth it. I want to feel that I can wake up in the morning and do precisely what I want to do — I can’t do that if I have goals looming over me. I want to only do those things that I find most rewarding; those things that align with my moral principles. I still have goals — I just don’t set myself arbitrary deadlines or put myself in a position where I feel pressured to do something I don’t want to do.
Consider my experience with Clear Blogging Solutions. I started off by trying to attract every client under the sun. I soon discovered that I didn’t like dealing with people who wanted to pay $50 per article, and that my original core client (who would pay a good price for good value) was someone I wanted to stick with. There might be less of them, and I might make less overall by dealing only with them, but it is sure more rewarding. Screw the extra money — I don’t need it. I’m happy.
Depending upon your current situation, this may come of something as a revelation to you, or you may be sitting there telling me that it’s all well and good for me. Fair enough, but I’m not here to hate on goal setting (far from it) or gloat that I can afford not to set goals. My point is that goal setting is a tool; one that should be used with forethought. As such, you should always ask yourself why you are setting a goal and whether it is worth it — not simply set goals blindly because you feel it is the done thing.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t set goals — after all, without goals, we are highly unlikely to ever reach our true potential. But perhaps reaching our true potential involves sacrifices that are too great. That is the equation you have to consider.
Photo Credit: Marcel Oosterwijk
Marc says
I think the key is to do what works best for you personally, and it sounds like that is exactly what you are doing. Most people in the online business world probably are not at a similar point, especially people trying to break in to the industry.
Tom Ewer says
Agreed. Sometimes it takes time to figure out *what* works for you though 😉
Jackson Davies says
Hi Tom,
I firmly agree that it does take time to figure out what works best for you, 8 months in (at time of writing) and I’m still finding my way and experimenting too. I believe that with goal setting sometimes it is important to set a goal that you don’t think you can reach because it makes you reach higher. I have to commend you for the ventures you’ve tried and thank you for sharing the highs and lows with us! I have found reflecting my traffic ups and downs gets me into a more business like frame of mind, what I’m really here for, if you know what I mean.
Peace!
Tom Ewer says
Hey Jackson,
I agree with you about aiming super-high, but the downside to that is that aiming so high can create a lot of stress. It’s all about finding that balance.
Cheers,
Tom
JoDavies says
I feel the same way. Going for reward over $ and aiming for goals that achieve that objective. Another great thought provoker! 😉
Tom Ewer says
I try my best 😉
Jenn Flynn-Shon says
I like your take on this, Tom. It seems so liberating what you’ve been able to do. Sadly, I’m way too OCD to abandon my goals entirely! I like to break my big stuff down into small stuff so my bigger goals become each week’s to-do list. When I get to the end of the week & have items crossed off I feel accomplished because I reached my goal. Well, the weekly goal at least. My real goals are the monthly, yearly, longer-term things I hope to achieve from my career/life. If I stick to a plan each week it means I’ll get there eventually. I thrive on that kind of structure because the alternative (for my personality specifically) is to wind up doing nothing.
And, see, this is what I love about being a writer – we all do the same thing but get there in the way that fits best with who we are and what works for us individually!
Tom Ewer says
Your system sounds awesome Jenn. If it works for you, that’s all that matters!
Razwana says
I fluctuate between setting ambitious goals, and setting goals that are necessary to run my business.
When it’s time for a new direction, I’ll set an ambitious goal. In times of stress , though, (where the stress feels wrong, rather than positive stress which is part of growth), I re-evaluate the goals and decide if they’re worth pursuing.
And leaving a goal behind isn’t a sign of failure. For a long time, I thought it was. Perhaps that’s why people get so hung up on goal setting – the potential of not meeting them brings up questions on ability and personal security?
– Razwana
Tom Ewer says
That sounds like a good system Razwana — one that adapts to your circumstances, rather than simply remaining the same regardless.