The Rear View Mirror: Hello Twenty-Ten
What’s frightening about hitting goals, rather than setting them, is that the process sets a trap for contentment. Meaning, we fall into a harmonious state of enough: you’ve accomplished something you said you would, or even better, that you thought you wouldn’t. I call it a trap because it’s an excuse to halt–at least temporarily–the forward momentum we’ve worked so hard to create.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t set goals. We should. To do so is ambitious, even noble. It’s the typical end-of-year conversation starter where our perfect reflection seems only another year away. A new year is the ability to start fresh, a true clean slate. It’s a way to make the people around you feel like they should be working harder and smarter too.
Goals are useful because they give us something to align our actions with, such as intellectual problems to solve, character flaws to overcome, harmful habits to crush, thick books to read, vivid screenplays to write, colorful paintings to stroke, pounds of fat to shed, rippling muscles to gain, strenuous laps to run, soulful songs to record, significant others to attract, exotic destinations to travel, interesting people to meet, boring jobs to quit and exciting careers to create.
Looking back on what I proposed as goals for 2009, I chose to strive towards running a profitable business, continuing my artistic expression and expanding my technical expertise, all of which I made attempts at. I started a business, but it’s not technically profitable yet (I’ll explain details when I can). I’m writing and sketching more, feeling somewhat artistic. And, I can proficiently discuss the more intimidating aspects of technology, although I still don’t actively program (nor do I want to). My personal measurement is that I feel happier and smarter than last year, which in the realm of things, is all that matters.
Looking forward, contrary to 2009, I won’t pin point exactly what I want to accomplish. It’s limiting. I have ideas, handfuls of them, in the back of my mind regarding what I want to do and where I want to be, but I’m keeping that to myself. Part of my method to getting there will be figuring it out as I go. That’s the lifestyle I’ve chosen, so I’m going to stick with it.
What I do want to do, and what I’d suggest anyone to focus on, is putting your thumbprint somewhere. Be able to specifically point to a meaningful project–a campaign, startup, book, album or whatever–and identify where your influence was. Getting a win under your belt isn’t necessarily the hard part; identifying why you mattered to its success is.
My philosophy is that goals should be those nagging things you never actually attain, at least 100%. It’s more of a search, or constant battle. Because, once you reach, grab and hold one, consider it gone.
