Goals: Am I setting
myself up to learn something new, OR setting myself up to fail?
Every year I set a goal vowing to pay attention to
social media. That includes updating my website, which I do so infrequently
that, each time, I have to relearn how. <SIGH>
Then there is reengaging on Instagram, which I always
enjoyed, and learning TikTok, which I still haven’t tried to tackle. And forget
learning how to work on Twitter – See!?! That is how long it has been since I
thought about conquering what is now X. Even my FB engagement lacks, and
that is what I use the most.
I haven’t just learned that I am horrible at staying
caught up on any type of social media. I have been reminded of that defect in
my character—HA—year after year, when I have to assess my old goals and
reaffirm new goals for a new year. To me, navigating social media is like
trudging uphill, one plodding step at a time, and never reaching the top.
So, as you probably guessed, social media is my least
favorite goal to achieve.
I recently wrote a writer friend of mine about
proclaiming goals to achieve THE WIN, versus setting hopeful expectations for a new year. If you consider every goal accomplished as a win, then what is the opposite? A Fail?
I have always considered goals to be about hope. Expectations
you seek to attain. A mission. Something you write down and tell others, so
that you’ll make a concerted effort to achieve, either by yourself or as part
of a team or coordinated with workplace colleagues.
Seeking Forgiveness:
Some goals, in the workplace or in your community, are
important or essential to attain no matter what. But personal goals… Well, my
philosophy is life gets in the way. If something comes up that is more
important—a make-or-break, a family emergency, or a task in your day job that
will affect the next steps of a project, or even changes in a writing project—well, those intervening tasks must be attained. And at times to the detriment of achieving other goals.
When setting personal or writing goals, I believe there
is room to delay reaching that goal. And, in some cases, it is perfectly fine
to say this goal no longer seems top priority or necessary to achieve this year.
Or this goal can just as easily be pushed forward to achieve at a later date.
Hence, my need to just hit DELETE on Social Media goals. I hope by taking this off my list, I will just wander into achieving that now, unspoken goal, without feeling the pressure. <SHRUGS> One can hope. But one can also be relieved without that added pressure.
Although, in reality for 2024, I believe I have set myself up to most likely “fail” in tasks I have never tried before. It all depends on my energy to learn something brand-new to my toolbox of writerly skills. But they are also skills I have always been intrigued to try. If I can’t conquer how to achieve leaning these skills, at least I will have tried.
Yes, I am setting myself up to learn something new.
And yes, my chances of failing or not totally achieving 5-star competence, is
high. But hey, I’ll still learn something—anything—new. One step at
a time… And, no pressure.
The exciting part of setting “reach” goals is that I
know I’ll probably need a little help along the way from my writer friends. So, watch out—I might be
needy in 2024.
Do
you like the idea of setting annual goals? Or does committing to accomplishing
a long (or short) list
of annual goals give you “hives”?
Moonlighting
Starlight Grille ~ Book 3
A
blast from the past, a ten-year old matchmaker with a valentine wish, an
omission, and a villainous man…a recipe for disaster? Or love against all odds?
Amazon Kindle (only in print as a collection: Starlight
Grille)
Starlight Grille
A Serenity
Harbor Maine Collection
Welcome to
Serenity Harbor, Maine, a small coastal town where the Starlight Grille is a
favorite meeting place. This sweet, with a touch of heat, collection includes a
new bonus short story and a Starlight Grille recipe.
~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~
Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances
and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of
Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor
Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of
Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. The Love Left
Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella. A Christmas
novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker)
were released in late fall 2022. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as
well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, in 2024.
Social Media
Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe
/ https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/
Photo Credits:
Free Goals Cliparts,
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10 comments:
Deb, my "social media" is meta data and SEO (I think SEO is putting meta data...). Well, as you can see I've got some work to do or...
I've even taken two 8 week or maybe even 12 week classes in the past few years and prior to that had taken other shorter ones. I've notes and plans and I do understand the concept. However when it comes to identifying meta data for my own books? Blank!!!
Some of it for me is just plain energy. I've had little to none for the last couple of years so those days/weeks/months I've barely done the basics.
From my perspective the most important word in your title is "forgiveness". Beating ourselves up because we didn't get X done is a lose/lose proposition from my pov. Use the energy expended on self-recrimination, etc. to work on a project you enjoy.
So true, Judith. It took me years to not be upset with myself about not reaching goals.
I, too, have taken numerous workshops about Search Engine Optimization. The one thing I do remember is that every time you update your website, or add a link to something, it ups your chances to be seen in a search - it raises up the visibility of your "product." And yet, I still forget, for months on end, to add even one minor thing or change to my website.
I decided that social media was not something to conquer for my books. I do Facebook, to keep up with friends and family.
Long range goal setting is something I gave up a long time ago. I couldn't trust myself to be healthy enough to follow through. So I make short term goals without a time limit. Get back to writing on my book is my current wide open goal. I'm doing that, a little each week. Maybe I'll speed up at some point. Not today. Probably not next week. If a goal is rigid, it's stressful.
Delsora, a very timely message for all of us and a reminder to be as kind and gentle with ourselves as we are with other people! I've learned to set "intentions" and priorities as part of my goal-setting process. I have five projects I've identified to prioritize in 2024, and hope to actually complete two of them (my intentions), but we'll see what happens. I need some time pressure to keep me moving (knowing readers are waiting for them helps), but I also like that by self-publishing I no longer have the hard deadlines that came with writing for a NY publishing house.
Here's to a great productive year for both of us!!
Delsora,
I totally agree with your message. Most of all about being kind to ourselves. Except for writing goals, I'm picking one word to follow through out 2024. That word is "courage".
The courage to try new things, get rid of clutter, the courage to put myself out into our new community, etc .
So if I hesitate doing or trying new things I'll tell myself to have courage, and just do it!!
Great post!!
Gail - I hear you. I seem to do much better with self-imposed intentions, than when someone else has set the deadline. That just stresses me out. And it is hard to be creatively productive when under stress. Good luck - now get to work :-) - as reader who is awaiting your next book
Barb - I agree on the stress - which shuts me down. A lose-lose situation for me. Good luck getting back to your writing, when you are ready. Day-by-day works for me!
Love the word concept, Diana. I have tried that several times in the past, and then promptly forgot about it. I need to make a CANVA meme with the word and plaster it up on the wall in front of my computer. HMMM - now to think of a good word for 2024. I'll get back to you on that one!
Loved this post, Deb. I couldn't agree with you more. I like challenging but not stress causing goals.
Dari - Thanks for popping in with your great concept = challenging but not stress producing - I love that! A great way to put it.
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