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Dreams, Goals, and 5 Year Plans

Dec 15th 2009Madeline Hunter
Madeline HunterMadeline Hunter

goals2A few years before a publisher agreed to put me in print, one of my writer friends got “the call.” Just in time too. Her 5 year plan was almost up. She had given herself five years to work at this,  at which point, if she had not yet been published she would—-?

It was never clear to me what was supposed to happen then.  Was the five years just a period when she gave herself permission to do what she wanted without doing a cost/benefit analysis? Was it supposed to make her work harder because the clock was ticking? If the publishing contract did not show up on time, was she going to bag the whole idea, or just regroup and rethink?

I have never had a five year plan. I have worked at places that do, though. Lots of companies and organizations have them. I think it is considered sloppy not to. And yet I have seen them become straight jackets as often as they provided guidance, so I am a little skeptical of their value in those contexts, let alone for individuals.goals1

A mini version of a five year plan is the Goal. I have probably had goals, but I don’t think I’ve ever had Goals. I am supposed to though, that is clear. I read all the time that if I don’t set Goals, I’ll never amount to much or get anywhere.  This goes for career, life, losing weight, saving the environment, etc.

During one of my first conversations with my agent, she wanted to talk about my writing Career Goals. I felt like an idiot because I didn’t have any, other than to write stories and hopefully get published. I had not mapped out when I would make X amount of money, or even how much at all, ever. I had never announced to myself that I wanted to hit a bestseller list. My goals were very short-term, very modest, very one foot in front of the other, and hope for the best. A large part of me, the part I rarely acknowledged, probably knew that my goal was most likely a dream, not a goal, and if I examined it too much I would realize that. Better not to, then, because dreams often don’t come true.

I think that I resist this Goal-setting and long-range life planning for a couple of other reasons. First, most of this reminds me a lot of making lists, and I have already blogged about my feelings on that! Second, not reaching the Goal sounds a lot like failure, and sometimes you just want to take a shot at something, you know? Without anyone keeping score. This is especially true if what you are doing is taking a shot at making a dream a reality. I guess I don’t understand why I would need a Maoist five year plan to do that.

goals5Now, lest you think I am only going to diss Goals and Plans, I’m not. In doing a bit of research for this blog I learned some interesting things about setting Goals and ensuring you reach yours. I’ll pass them along.

It seems that if you write down a Goal, you have a 60-80% chance of reaching it. I wish I had known that twelve years ago when I began penning my first novel. It would have saved me a lot of time. If you do not write it down, you only have a 3-6% chance. (The academic in me is raising an eyebrow and wondering where these stats came from and how they were derived.)

I also learned that a Goal needs to be specific, the more the better. It also has to be measurable. I learned that breaking the Big Goal into several smaller Goals helps (we all know this already.) Also, I learned that it helps to visualize achieving the Goal.

A lot of this made sense, and perhaps, like lists, I do it but in a more free-form way, or even subconsciously. But they lost me with the last one. I don’t do that visualizinggoals4 stuff. I make it a point not to. I think if I visualize achieving a goal, I will  jinx myself.

Do you set goals, or Goals? Do you write them down and do it right? Does it work?

What are your goals? Any you are working on now? Any you plan to set soon?

Are most of your goals personal ones, or professional? Do you clearly set them, or are you more like me?

By the way, if you Google “goal setting” there are tons of forms, tips, etc., on the web. One site wanted me to start with a quarter century plan, though. Too late for that!

57 Comments »

57 Responses to “Dreams, Goals, and 5 Year Plans”

  1. B on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:21 am #

    My ‘goals’ at the moment are more like ‘dreams’. The one thing I want the most is to be a writer. I’m 21 years old, English isn’t my first language, I live in Brazil (and can’t afford to get the hell out of here at the moment) and I haven’t the faintest idea if I can remotely make anyone interested in the things I write, if I’m any good.
    As much as I’d like to ‘plan’ my life around being a writer, I can’t. The truth is I have no perspective of future. As much as I love to dream, I can’t really see myself getting out of here and doing something I love. So much would have to happen, some things that are completely out of my control.

    Honestly, I’m absolutely terrified. If I give it much thought, about the future, I mean, I have panic attacks or I start to cry. Sometimes I just get desperate because I feel in 30 years I’ll still be stuck in a place I hate doing something I hate. And I’d rather die than live like that.

    (continues)

  2. B on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:24 am #

    Bottom line? I don’t plan much. Or set goals. I live every day hoping for something to happen to give me some light – maybe an opportunity or an idea that will give me something to hang on. I live today, and tomorrow, and the next day, because if I think of the future at this point of line life, I’ll lose it.

    And that, my Goddesses, was some venting. Sorry about that. The future terrifies me like nothing else. Because I can handle most of everything — but never having a passion, never doing something I love is not something I am ready to deal with.

  3. Trini on 15 Dec 2009 at 4:07 am #

    I don’t know why but I think I never have great goals… I mean, I prefer to think in the short term and according to the things are happening in my life. In this moments I have a proffesional goal because I’m planning a new bussiness with two friends, but in the beginning I prefer to think only in the next year. To think about 2011 year and more are my partners… I think I don’t like to formulate plans or goals because I don’t want to disappoint myself…

  4. Bronte on 15 Dec 2009 at 5:00 am #

    Goal Setter here. Comes with being a Type A personality. I goal set my way through university and through the first four years of my career. When I decided to go to Europe for several months (long way from Australia) I bought the ticket almost a year in advance and then worked my butt of to get there. Came back with five dollars in the bank and a maxed out credit card but thats another story. If I don’t have a goal(s) I feel adrift and unsettled. I have several personal and career goals at the moment. Some I write down, some I have in my wallet, some are just in my head.

  5. Chloe Harris (Noelle) on 15 Dec 2009 at 6:15 am #

    Recently DH and I set a six year plan. In six years our youngest will be off to college. We’d love to move out of the mid-size city and into the mountains. That means I need a job that’s flexible enough to live anywhere. So my goal is for my writing career to progress enough to quit my day job by then.

    Yes I know it not good to set goals that you can’t really control but I must admit since we set a six year goal it’s been a lot of fun thinking and dreaming about it.

  6. Cail on 15 Dec 2009 at 6:55 am #

    i don’t set big goals really. yeah, i have a vague idea of at what point i’d like to make my relationship official in the eyes of the government and start having kids, but its all very vague. i tend to just decided to do something, then do it with or without any sort of goal or plan set in place. so far, it’s worked out pretty well for me, so i think i’ll continue with that. for instance, after we moved i decided to get a masters in education. i applied to one university, got in, started attending, and just finished. didn’t do all that much planning to put that into motion. Madeline, I think i’m in the no big goals or big plans boat with you!

  7. LoriHandeland on 15 Dec 2009 at 7:12 am #

    I have set goals in the past and I did write them down.

    My goals were always professional. Selling a certain type of book. Making a list. Selling to a second house. That kind of stuff.

    Every night while I lay there waiting for sleep I visualize goals. That usually knocks me right out.

    I’ll set some new goals in the new year. Not sure what they’ll be yet though.

  8. Freedom Writer on 15 Dec 2009 at 7:28 am #

    I have mixed feelings about goals. I like to have a goal or two lying around, but I realized that sometimes real life interferes with my goals, so I don’t go out too far. Right now I have a goal to finish revisions on my first manuscript by the end of 2009. I will accomplish that one. Another goal is to get published. I don’t have a time line set for that goal, but I plan to start submitting first manuscript early in 2010 while revising manuscripts 2 & 3. I would love to see my name on the best seller list, but that depends on how others respond to my writing so I can’t put a number on it, like in 5years I want to be on the bestsellers list for 27 weeks in a row. Well, first I need to get published, and there is no guarantee that my first, second, third or fourth manuscript will reach that level, but I know the more I write and submit the better my chances are that I will be published and I will make the bestsellers list. But I’m realistic too, even if I set a goal to have this happen within 5 years I know it doesn’t mean I’ll attain that goal within the allotted time when it depends on someone other than myself to come to fruition.

  9. Pesky on 15 Dec 2009 at 7:53 am #

    I have more of a Venn Diagram rather than goals. I know what I generally want to achieve and what I do around that idea is how I get to it.

    I have lists for short term goals and I have general ideas for long term ones.

    I find that when I make solid long term goals that in my mind are set in cement life laughs and me and throws me a curve ball (going to college, nah, I’ll throw you cancer with a side of non-insurance and the loss of a parent, going to work for FEMA, nah, I’ll throw in a run in with an armored car, artist? remember that armored car, hand tremors…). Therefore for my happiness and sanity I have a general idea of where I want to go but I always keep my eyes open for new opportunities and am fluid in my acceptance of what life throws at me (ok, no art, look how much fun you can have with computers…FEMA nah, however there’s this opportunity with Westinghouse, look you’re not travelling for work, you get some extra time with your Mom before she passes on…).

    I love the saying, life is what happens when you were making plans for something else. The trick is to enjoy it. Every day I wake upon the right side of the grass is a win.

  10. evlqn on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:01 am #

    I have goals I want to achieve and I know the chances of reaching them are much better when I do write them down. Some are written some are just discussed with my sister. The sticking place with some of my goals is sometimes in mid plan my sister wants to do something else. She is so afraid of failure she sabotages herself. She didn’t used to be this way, but between her ex and her daughter telling her she was a failure she began to believe it. Now she second guesses everything. Very hard on the rest of us who just want to go for it.

  11. Freshechelle on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:14 am #

    I’m not a Goals person but have come to see the light. I recently started working with a life coach to help me manage an unfamiliar situation and I’ve grown so much from it. Small steps ans recognize the
    each as valuable steps that are necessary for achieving my big goal.

    B,you’ll be on your way when you start congratulating yourself on the eArly steps you’ve achieved like your fluency in English and joining this international group of friends. You never know where that can lead even indirectly.

  12. Freshechelle on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:16 am #

    Pardon typos. iPhone typing while boarding a plane.

  13. Kim on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:24 am #

    I do set goals and sometimes I do write them down. About 2 years ago a friend had me write a mission statement on where I’d like to be professionally. IMO, its fairly realistic but yet far enough away that I’m going to have to work to get there. Its printed out and hung up in my office. I see it every day. When I have a super bad day its there to remind me of the future. I have 3 years to reach those goals and I’m curious to see if I do.

    I’m also definitely a list maker. If I don’t list everything I need to do I get too overwhelmed and then I shut down and loose focus.

    Madeline-I love those stats but I have to wonder about them too. Don’t you think that a very focused, ambitious person who doesn’t write down their goal has a much better chance at meeting it than an unfocused, undriven person who does write it down has?

  14. Julia London on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:41 am #

    I do have professional goals and five year horizons. For me, it’s an issue of staying on course. If I didn’t have them, i would probably flit around and try and write a little bit of everything instead of focusing on building in areas where I have strengths.

    For example, a few years ago, I jumped on the paranormal bandwagon and sold a proposal for a paranormal book. I did it because that area was hot. I wrote the book and realized that I really don’t have much talent in the paranormal area. So we renegotiated and that paranormal book was shelved and I wrote Summer of Two Wishes instead. But if I had followed my goals and workplan, I would not have veered off and would have been slowly and steadily building in the genre I want to be in.

    I like goals and finish lines. I like creating new goals and finish lines. And if I don’t make them, I don’t get too upset about it. I just make a new one :-)

  15. Lisa H on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:45 am #

    Julia, I think my goal setting ways are similar to yours. I do have goals, and remind myself of them so I can stay on track. I have a deep sense of “the ticking clock” which to me means time is passing every second and I don’t want to get to the end of my life and realized I didn’t make happen the things that were important to me. Oh, and based on the new info given, I’m writing down my top two goals right now!

  16. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:51 am #

    B.–While I don’t do big Goals and Plans, I have learned that any forward momentum in my life has to come from me. I guess I’m saying that if you feel the way you express, some structured goal setting may be a good idea. It does get one thinking about the options and possibilities :)

    Trini, I think that I also don’t do the long term goal thing in order to avoid disappointment too. That was a good insight and I’m going to mull it over.

    Bronte— See, this was what I was hoping to see posted, some examples of people who have found goal setting to be really effective. I may give it a shot on something, just to see if it creates focus.

    Noelle–I think that you can control more than we think in this business, so your goal is not really depending on things out of your control. I hope it happens for you!

  17. Vicky on 15 Dec 2009 at 8:56 am #

    The most common mistake with goals is that all too often they are unrealistic. The 5-year plan to publish that Madeline mentions is a common mistake. There are too many unknowns such as lines folding. Plus, an author may publish sooner or later than 5 years – or not at all. I think making an annual plan with specific interim steps to achieve the overall goal can be useful. To be honest, I never wrote down my goals, but I knew what they were and acted on specific steps. Often I would jump on unexpected opportunities, such as a free contest on an agent’s website, that contributed to my overall strategy for the year. So flexibility is important to achieving goals. But even more important than goals, I think, is the willingness to take chances. All too often I meet writers who are afraid to submit material to contests, agents, or editors. Honestly, I think my willingness to put my stuff out there and jump on opportunities was a key factor leading to getting an agent and selling my first book.

    Happy holidays to Madeline and all the Goddesses.

  18. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:01 am #

    Pesky, I like your use of the word fluid. That’s me, fluid, LOL. I am not aimless, but life does show up and a bit of fluidity helps.

    Lori, and Julia—see, now I feel I should be more goal-oriented in my writing. But if I set the goal that I would set if I set goals, then I have to try and do it, don’t I? Hmmm. . . .

    Freedomwriter, you sound like me. First I want to finish this ms, then I want to finish another, then I want to find an agent and get published—- I think I felt the whole process was too fragile and overwhelming to get far ahead of myself when I began writing. So I did have a series of more short term goals without having a big long-range one too.

    Cail, yeah I think you and I are in the same boat, LOL

  19. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:16 am #

    evlqn and Kim— I find the writing it down part interesting. I wonder why it helps or matters too. Is it more real then? Does the writing it down create commitment? I am all for trying it if it works, but I’ll probably opt for something pretty short range to test it out.

    I am wondering if in my fluid way I am doing a lot of this, just calling it something else. That would be typical of me— getting hung up on the label.

    Vicky, your advice about being realistic puts my non-goal life in perspective. I think that has a lot to do with how I operate. I tend to think of big Goals as often unrealistic, so I only aim in that direction in a more fluid and general way and take it as it comes.

    But reading some of the posts here, I may try it a different way.

  20. Rachel Gibson on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:18 am #

    I do set goals for myself, but I never set a time table. And my goals are kind of vague in my own head. Like, “Someday I want to pay cash for a car.” Or “Someday I’d like to fit into my wedding dress again.” Which is probably never going to happen because I weighted 100 lbs. But hey, I could get giardia or e coli. Not that I want to. Knock wood.

  21. Louisa Edwards on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:20 am #

    Goal-setting can be super valuable–even if you only clarify in your own mind what you’re hoping to accomplish, it can help focus you. Did you know that when you visualize an outcome, your brain actual starts creating the neural pathways that you will need to accomplish it? I think that’s so crazy, but it’s true. And it only takes a second, so why not do it? I visualize everything now! LOL

  22. Barb Chansky on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:33 am #

    Madeline, no wonder you are my favorite author:) Gosh, the amount of interviews I failed because I do not have a 5-year plan! Love you calling it Maoist; for someone who grew up in Communist Russia, that is precisely what it feels like to me (just from Communist Party, not Mao). You sort of know what you want and you work towards it; if it does not work, you try again, or maybe realize it’s not for you and try something else. Otherwise you do feel like a bit fat failure, and life is just too short for this.

  23. Amy Scott on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:36 am #

    My husband asked me the other day what my goals and dreams were. He was reading a book about setting goals and achieving them. At the time I couldn’t really think of anything for myself, all of my goals centred around my children. Now that I think on it, I do have some personal goals. I am a stay at home mom at the moment, so most of my goals are personal. There is always the lose weight goal, which seems to get put off all the time. I always leave a note for myself on the fridge door, saying ‘this Monday my diet starts’, but it never does. My husband and I set a goal of saving $15000 to take a trip to the UK, we reached our goal, but then I got pregnant. We ended up using the money to finish our basement, and the trip was cancelled. So, another 5 year savings plan has been set. I am hopeful this one will stick. I used to set professional goals, but then I had my first child and I decided that staying home and raising my kids was what I most wanted to do. I have 5 years left on that plan, by then both my kids will be in school full time, and I can go back to work. The thought of going back to work worries me, 10 years is a long time to be out of the workplace.

  24. Margaret on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:50 am #

    I’m a goal-setter. But then I’m a Virgo and that’s what we do. In fact, I’ve been blogging about goals off and on for a couple of weeks, inbetween making Christmas candy, that is.
    There are a few things I like to stress to anyone who sets a goal:
    1) it is a goal, not a pipe dream–big difference. You have control and power over a goal, you don’t with a pipe dream.
    2) goals should be flexible–heck, I changed from writing romance to writing middle grade stories mid-year, so go with the flow
    3) chill out about not reaching a goal–you probably got a lot closer to your goal than you would have if you hadn’t even set it!
    Cheers!
    and Write On!
    Margaret

  25. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 9:59 am #

    Rachel, you sound like me. :)

    Louisa—Really? Visualizing will do that? Heck, I’ll try it then. Now how do I get over my inherited superstition about jinxing myself? I guess I’ll have to force myself to be more rationale and just take the shot.

    Hi, Barb!— Well, I’m willing to give this goal setting a try, but I don’t think I’ll be doing a 5 year plan with it. I do think I d the goal thing in my own peculiar way (which sounds a lot like your own peculiar way!)

    Amy, I am a big believer in doing what is important to us when we are living the life we are living. I think that is one reason I resist the planning. I have some very important achievements in my life, especially my personal life, that would never have happened if I had been really focused on other big long-range goals. Those goals would have made me say no, not now, this will interfere with that big Goal. And let’s face it, kids are at the top of the list of things that can interfere, LOL. But would we want to trade? When I set aside a dream or goal due to something else, I ask myself “At the end of my life, which will have mattered most?”

  26. Claudia Dain on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:08 am #

    I don’t know where I fall on this scale. I don’t write anything down, that’s for sure. I have dreams, plans, and goals, but if they don’t happen…well, I get discouraged, but that’s about it.

  27. Janae on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:24 am #

    I’ve kind of vague goals in my mind. Occasionally, I’ll give myself a timeline, like recently when I painted my lower kitchen cabinets. I gave myself until Christmas to finish them. For the most part they’ve been finished about a 1.5 months. I need to go back in to do some touch ups. Maybe I’ll do that today.

    On the whole, though, I don’t write down goals or give myself a timeline. It goes back to my parents, who are big time type A personalities. For the first 8-10 years of my life, I had to write goals down and each month, I had to talk to my parents about how things were coming along. I hated every minute of it because looking back, I don’t think that any of the goals that I set then were to help me. They were more about pleasing my parents more than anything. I’m more of a think about something and then work toward it. It’s works for me.

  28. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:28 am #

    I may be overthinking this, but I have a question. If you set a clear, measurable goal, does it help if there are other people who know it? For changing habits (dieting, quitting smoking, exercising more, etc) it is often advised you get “support” (which I take it to mean other people who know you have the goal and will remind you and urge you on to success.)

    Does that matter with other kinds of goals too? Kim indicated she and a friend worked on her goals, and she has them posted, which due to visibility makes them not entirely private, for example. Is this advised for all Goals?

  29. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:36 am #

    Claudia, I’m concerned that if I write it down, I’ll get more discouraged. Man, I really sound like a woo-woo personality sometimes, even to me.

    Janae, if my parents had made me do that, I am pretty sure that I would never have written down any goal ever again for the rest of my life. Are your parents baby boomers? A lot of us are planning meisters.

  30. Amy Scott on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:39 am #

    Well said Madeline! Being a stay at home mom was never how I envisioned spending 10 years of my life. Then I had my first child and spent a year at home with her, which is the length of maternity leave where I live, and now I couldn’t see myself being anywhere else. Giving up my career at the time was hard, but being there for all the firsts makes it well worth the sacrifice.

  31. Karen Rose on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:55 am #

    Madeline – I do love lists, more because they are a springboard for other ideas and other stuff I either want or need to do. Like priming the pump in my brain.

    I feel the same way about writing down goals. I used to have a 5 year plan, but then I lost my job and it got derailed. Nothing was ever as stable after that and having a “5 year plan” when something could happen that wasn’t of my making to throw the whole system into disarray … well, it seemed to suck.

    But I am a great proponent of writing down specific goals and how they will be measured. Back at P&G, we had this down to a science. There was even an acronym for the chart we developed with goals, measures, etc. When I try to use it with fellow authors, their eyes glaze over and they look like they want to scurry away. So I have learned to keep my specific goal charts to myself, LOL.

  32. Karen Rose on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:58 am #

    The charting helps me to connect what I do with what I expect to achieve. Sometimes what I want to do doesn’t connect back to anything – I just want to do it. As long as I’m okay with that and I know it’s “just because,” I do it and have fun with it.

    Love my lists. Love my charts. Love my goal-oriented planning. Must go make a spreadsheet now!

  33. Janae on 15 Dec 2009 at 11:00 am #

    Madeline – my mom’s a Baby Boomer, but my dad isn’t. He falls into the so-called Silent Generation since he was born in 1941.

  34. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 11:14 am #

    Janae, when I was finishing up my Ph.D. it was time to career plan and take the final steps to the Goal. Then I met my DH. And I knew if I wanted to keep to the plan, there would be no future with him. So I married him and flew into the mist, potentially abandoning the Goal completely. My fluid approach was born then, I think.

    Flash forward and, in the end, I had that career and another one writing. There was no guarantee it would happen that way. I never expected it to. But life can unfold in lots of different ways.

    Oddly enough, yesterday in Publishers Lunch, there was a notice of a book just contracted that looks like it will address this different way of approaching things. It will be titled OBLIQUITY.

    That said, I am going to test out this goal setting approach and see if (1) it helps and (2) whether I am even capable of doing it that way.

  35. Pesky on 15 Dec 2009 at 11:15 am #

    Madeline:

    I’,m not sure about “support” I think that a lot of that is instilling of fear of not failing in a public forum and that backing off is harder with people watching.

    Since I don’t give a big whoop what people think of me, it doesn’t really work for me.

    However, the exercise buddy thing works for me because it’s a little time I take away just for myself with a buddy. I have to be careful though who I choose, I keep breaking my friend Artguy. Plantar Fascitis, groin injury, pulled shoulder…Artguy needs to man up. :D (Yeah, this is the same Artguy that I asked to come along to see a “vampire movie” ya know…Twilight)

  36. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 11:20 am #

    Margaret, your advice puts a lot of this in perspective. Writing it down does not mean carving it in stone, right?

    Pesky, yeah I thought the telling people was for the reasons you say. I don’t think it would work with me either. However, I do like the idea that if I set a Goal and don’t achieve it, it is just between me and me :)

  37. TrishD on 15 Dec 2009 at 12:53 pm #

    My goal today should have been to read everyone’s reply before I commented but I’m just too busy… sorry everyone! Know that I support you and your goals and dreams. I hope you achieve them all!!

    I have had a 5 year goal. I’ve been at my current job for almost 7 years and about 3-4 years ago I felt as though I was in a rut. I gave myself to the 5 year mark to advance and get out of my rut or I was going to look for another job. One month before my 5 year anniversary the person with the job I wanted gave her notice and I was promoted. I’ve been happy with my job ever since.

    I have one major goal for my life but I think it’s more of a dream. Maybe if I make it a specific and measurable goal it will seem more attainable to me. Madeline, you have me thinking of taking my major goal/dream and turning it into a attainable goal… thanks!!!

  38. Freshechelle on 15 Dec 2009 at 12:55 pm #

    I’ve learned to tell others my goals because so many of them have been so supportive and offered connections that have helped advance my cause. That said, I have a personal goal that I’m keeping to myself.

  39. Nicole Jordan on 15 Dec 2009 at 1:51 pm #

    Boy, am I ever a goal setter! Goes with being a control freak, I think, lol. I like to feel as if I’m in control of at least SOMETHING, so if I can set small goals that are attainable, and work to meet them, then they actually motivate me. I would be lost doing it any other way.

    Although, Madeline… I think a quarter century might be a little long even for me *G*

  40. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 2:12 pm #

    Nicole, I really had to laugh at the quarter century plan. My goal is really simple for that—to still be alive and healthy.

    Freschelle, you have a good point, that if others know your goals they might have ways to help. I honestly had not thought about that.

    TrishD, your five year plan worked perfectly. As did my friend’s from my blog post. Who knows, maybe it worked for her because she had that plan to begin with.

  41. Sabrina Jeffries on 15 Dec 2009 at 2:18 pm #

    I knew there was a reason I loved you, Madeline!!! I have never set a goal in my life. I have no 5-year-plan. I always figured that it’s hard to set goals you have no control over. When they don’t happen, what do you do? I couldn’t MAKE a publisher buy me, and once they did, I couldn’t MAKE readers buy my books, and once they did, I couldn’t MAKE them buy me in sufficient numbers to put me on the bestseller list. Yet all of that happened, which makes me skeptical of the whole goal thing.

    So, I have gone on goal-less lo these many years (hey, maybe it’s an academic–or former academic–thing!). Nonetheless I have achieved pretty much everything I wanted to in my career, with a few small exceptions. Does the fact that I wanted certain things make them goals? Not sure.

    All I know is that I never made a 5 year plan, and I don’t have one now. Hmm.

  42. Suzanne Enoch on 15 Dec 2009 at 2:28 pm #

    I tend to be fairly nebulous about my goals – I’m like you, Madeline, in that I’m afraid if I examine them too closely I’ll realize how impossible they are. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

  43. Gwynlyn MacKenzie on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:00 pm #

    Deadlines often work for me, but Goals, per se, not so much. Life changes too quickly. The road becomes bumpy or nonexistant in the space of a breath. Were I to cling to it, I would get nowhere, so one must allow for LIFE. Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes it’s glorious. And sometimes it just is. Always, however, it effects us. So I will be satisfied learning and growing, reaching and, God willing, finally grabbing the gold ring (no brass for this girl!) And as go forward, I will recall Gram’s insistance that a day during which one learn nothing is a day wasted. She was 97 when she left us to finish our journeys without her, and one very bright woman. To her, each day was a gift—often with a surprise inside.

  44. Nicole Jordan on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:19 pm #

    Well, I also have the benefit (or curse, you may say) of my P&G training. Goal-setting was one of the very first things they pounded into our heads as managers.

    Come to think of it, a main reason I’m a writer today is because of goals. At a P&G workshop designed to teach the value of goals, I was given a 50 item list and told to choose one or more them, specifially to identify, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?” One of the items was write a book, and until that moment I had never EVER considering trying to write anything. I went out and bought a book on how to write fiction — and it was total greek to me, couldn’t understand a word of it. So I just started putting a story down on paper. Five years later, after a LOT of trial and error, I went back and read that first book on writing, and it made great sense. But I learned everything the hard way, teaching myself to write from scratch.

    I’m not gonna say how long ago that was, lol. But it was before the days of RWA chapters.

  45. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:20 pm #

    Suzie and Sabrina, I’m relieved to know that you sort of paddle along like I do. Sabrina, it may be an ex-academic reaction, after all the linear progression and pre set goals of that life.

    Gwyn, you make an interesting distinction between goals and deadlines. I guess they are related, but I agree they are not quite the same. Maybe some of us just translate one into the other. And your gram sounds like she was a fascinating woman.

  46. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:24 pm #

    Nicole, I also taught myself how to write through trial and error. I had always been a writer and considered a good one, but writing a novel length story has its own learning curve and I navigated it pretty much by making mistakes and just figuring out what went wrong. I think it is neat that you started at all because of a training session at your day job, though.

  47. Nicole Jordan on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:24 pm #

    >>> Does the fact that I wanted certain things make them goals? Not sure.

    Yep, I think it does, Sabrina! At least is does if you were willing to work for what you wanted, and stick with it even when the going was tough, which you obviously did!

  48. evlqn on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:40 pm #

    Madeline as a writer you already know what our belief system teaches, words have power. If you really want something put it out into the law and it will happen. But you really have to be specific for it to be effective.

  49. Gale Laure on 15 Dec 2009 at 3:53 pm #

    Thanks for this insightful post, Madeline. It really made me think.

    My goals are extensions of my dreams. Yes. I have to set them. However, many times our dreams do not work out. Then we are disillusioned. Sometimes when our dreams come true, we are overwhelmed. What are we to do? We are human. It is in our nature to set goals and obtain our dreams.

    I suppose it is an individual thing whether or not we set goals. For me it is a second nature. It is something I must do.

    What is is for you?

    GL

  50. Ronny on 15 Dec 2009 at 5:13 pm #

    I write down my goals in a 2010 goals booklet. It is always in my wallet and I review it regularly. It keeps me focused on what really matters to me.

    Enjoy and share,
    Ronny

  51. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 5:18 pm #

    Gale, I am trying still to figure out why it is not so natural for me :)

  52. Madeline Hunter on 15 Dec 2009 at 5:21 pm #

    Ronny, that is so cool for people who are setting goals. Thanks for the link!

  53. Nicole Jordan on 15 Dec 2009 at 6:11 pm #

    Wow, I agree, Ronny — that goal-setting tools page is great! I’ve bookmarked it for a few friends who say they could use help in that area, and for myself in the future.

  54. Trini on 15 Dec 2009 at 7:18 pm #

    What an interesting posts… but I realize that I’m too chaotic and fickle. I usually use an agenda, but reality is that I forget to read it too much times, so if I put in my wallet a 2010 goals booklet I’m sure I’ll forget to read it… and when my wallet been broken and change it for a new pocket I’ll say: “oh, look at that, I’d forget it, what an interesting booklet, I’ll keep it again”…. (and again and again and again….). You can believe me, I try to change but, many years ago, I realize it’s against my nature… so I leave happy with my chaos…. (and how we say: “to the force they hang”)

  55. Karen Hawkins on 16 Dec 2009 at 3:21 am #

    Madeline, because I worked in the mysterious world of academia and even used a Five Year Action Plan as a launch for a request for additional staffing AND a building renovation (my office received both because of that written plan), I always — ALWAYS — have a personal Five Year Action Plan. I truly believe that following your path in this life is a little bit easier when you have a compass.

    That doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. Of course, I never see mine as written in stone. It’s more a list of things I am working toward and hope to accomplish. There is no ‘and if this hasn’t happened by such and such a date, then — will happen.’ It’s more of a ‘Here’s where I want to be in five years and I’m going to work toward it by doing the following:’

  56. Harry on 16 Dec 2009 at 1:30 pm #

    Great post.

    For a simple approach to setting goals and being more productive, you may want to check out http://www.GoalsOnTrack.com, a very nicely built web app designed for tracking goals and todo lists, and supports time tracking too. It’s clear, focused, easy to navigate, worth a try.

  57. Dan on 18 Dec 2009 at 4:34 am #

    If you’d like a tool for setting your goals for 2010, you can use this web application:

    http://www.Gtdagenda.com

    You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
    A Vision Wall (inspiring images attached to yor goals) is available too.
    Works also on mobile.

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