Dreaming Success: Goals

Goal: the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result

I know that in my last business post I said I would talk about Marketing Plans, but I think we need to go back to Goals. I only brushed on the topic and think it needs a bit more thought.

There are questions that you need to ask yourself about what you are trying to achieve. No matter if it’s in regard to your shop on Etsy, your art/creations or what you want your blog to convey. The goal is what keeps you excited and interested in creating, writing and doing. It is also what keeps you focused.

Goals carry very distinct aspects:

Establish specific, measurable, attainable and realistic objectives. There should also be a time set in the future that you want to attain the goal by.

First you need to establish the specific goal. Are you an artist trying to get your work into a gallery? Magazine? Do you want to create workshops and teach others? Are you an Etsy shop owner and are trying to quit your day job and make an income to support yourself with your creative efforts?

Second you need to be able to measure your progress towards your end goal. Set up milestones that keep you on track and signify small success. For the artist perhaps the first small goal is taking photographs and writing a press release to send out to the media. For the Etsy shop owner the first goal may to assess your budget and what it would take each month in income to make your dream happen. Then assess your creations and how many you would have to make and sell to realize this dream. With this information you can set a date to fulfill this goal.

Third, be realistic. If you are just starting out in your art form it is less likely that you are going to be included in a major magazine or asked to have an exhibit at a major gallery. But, you may be able to submit your work to local newspapers and local galleries and get accepted. The Etsy shop owner may need to build a savings up before making the leap, or realize that he/she needs to do each job part-time for a while. During this time he/she may want to identify boutiques, gather contact information, and set up appointments with the local boutique owners.

Some people think that setting a goal locks you into the final outcome. That other possibilities may pass you by because you are so focused on the end goal. However, we each have a gut instinct that helps us question if something we come across in our day would be to our advantage. Generally we are each able to assess if we need to change our direction slightly to include this new advantage. So don’t fear goals and don’t fear success.

This blog article Business Bits by Allisa Jacobs of Quiltish includes some other questions that you may want to ask yourself about what success looks like to you.

Have fun with this….remember it’s pencil and paper at first and you have an eraser!