GOALS, EXPECTATIONS, AND REALITY
It seems that every year, especially with New Years Day, there is some kind of goal that we “need” to achieve. In reality, most of the goals aren’t achieved due to whatever circumstance(s) are deemed the excuse. I have so many unachieved goals and projects, I have actually forgotten the count. Musically and Artistically, I tend to dabble around with different genres and mediums. Sometimes I like the result and try to replicate it, and other times I completely abandon the idea.
GOALS
If you’re making a goal for yourself, it has to be measurable. Quantities. Time-Based. A couple of examples of my goals for this 2025 year:
“I want to play at least 50 performances before 2026.” This is measurable in the way that there is a number that I am trying to go for with a deadline. Don’t be too specific, but not too vague. A previous goal of mine was “I want to perform music as a part-time job.”, and that was not specific enough. Because a couple of gigs felt great, complacency occurred and the goal was too vague.
“I want to release three original songs by March 14th.” This goal is very specific, and I’m not even close to having this goal complete. I won’t let this dismantle my year, I’ll just have to re-adjust the date to make the goal attainable. “I want to release three original songs before 2026.” This longer deadline gives me plenty of artistic freedom to let the process naturally occur.
EXPECTATIONS
My education from the 90’s and early 2000’s was very step-based, meaning, If you do Step A, you’ll get to Step B, then you’ll go to Step C, and after that it continues, D, E, F, etc. School and Work showed that If you did this Step, you’ll get this outcome, and on to the next step. Right out of High School, I enlisted in the 43rd Army Band and shipped off to Basic Training. With my expectations and hefty goals, I knew a great track to be on. Graduate from Basic Training, Graduate from Advanced Individual Training, go to school, get the degree, find a partner, get married, buy a house, have kids, maintain a education career for 30+ years with the National Guard for 43 years. Man my expectations were shot down in a variety of ways, but I’m grateful.
After 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, my expectations went right out the window. I’ve already been disappointed in life, but to have the whole world shut down, it shook me. I was planning on running an Ultra-Marathon in Moab, and it was canceled the week before the race. I had put in a lot of running miles and hours, and putting a lot of mental energy. All for the event to be canceled. (Of course this wasn’t the worst part of the year.)
REALITY
Achieving goals feels great, especially when they meet your expectations. Not achieving goals forces you to adjust, which in-my-opinion, is more important than achieving the goal. Remember, ANYTHING POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CAN HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN TIME, so make your goals measurable, expectations low, and enjoy the experience.