For us, the journey is
also the point, as well as the destination. We like to go through places we’ve
never been to, or even thought about going to. We won’t be able to get to
Alaska without traveling down an unfamiliar stretch of road. But, since I
printed out all of the directions, we’ll know which road to travel, and for how
long, if I faithfully follow those
pre-determined steps.
For some reason writing
down goals makes them more likely to be reached. Goals are like a map. You look
at where you are now, and then where you want to be. And then you start
plotting all the steps it takes to get there. All the stops, left turns, dinner
breaks, re-fueling, stopping to see the largest ball of string, etc.
The goal of getting
your book published is a long trip. A really long trip. And you’re going to go
to, and through, places you’ve never really wanted. What does creating a
Twitter account have to do with writing a book, anyway? But I follow a map
because the person who created it knows how to get there, and they can tell me
how to reach my destination.
Goals are
destinations. And you have to pull out
of the driveway to get there. Here’s a tangible exercise in goal writing. Write
out your goal. If you’re not already familiar with the term SMART goal, let me
introduce you. SMART is an acronym for
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Tangible (or Time-bound) I won’t go into detail about each of these –
you can Google ‘smart goal’ and gain some more insight into the subject. But
the point is - write down your goal. And then write down every step that you
need to take to reach that goal. Some steps will be brief: ‘write synopsis’. Some will be agonizing: ‘find literary agent’.
Remember to organize your goal steps so
that you’re building momentum and moving closer to your objective.
I imagine that the
single largest goal for those reading this post may be ‘get my book published’,
and I hope you reach that goal. But consider other life goals as well. One of our
goals at home is to ‘clean out our basement’. According to my wife, the first
step should be: get a dumpster. There’s something empowering about reaching a
goal. It provides a sense of accomplishment that tells you that you can
accomplish even more.
As you write down your
goal, and all the steps needed to reach it, remember that it’s ok to leave room
in the schedule for those unplanned events – like seeing the world’s largest
pistachio. (Which is in New Mexico, by the way.)
But If I want to make
it to Alaska, I can’t do it without enduring that 968 mile stretch of pavement.
Eventually I’ve got to tackle that long and tedious portion of the journey. But
because I’ve endured (and even enjoyed) the 48 previous steps, I know that I
will eventually reach my destination.
One of my favorite rock
song lyrics is from the 1976 Steely Dan tune “Kid Charlemagne”. The part of the song that involves running
from the law finds the character asking the poignant question: “Is there gas in the car? Yes, there’s gas in
the car.”
So what’s your biggest destination
for 2014? And....
is there gas in the car?
2 comments:
Writing down goals and the steps needed to get there have always helped me in the past. Thank you Jim for this reminder and the S.M.A.R.T. acronym.
I like the SMART acronym too. Really a great post, Jim. I am trying to enjoy and appreciate each step of the trip - the writing itself is an awesome thrill and landing that deal is a sweet bonus. As long as we're exchanging rock-and-roll lyrics, I have to cite (I Want to Be a) "Paperback Writer," by the Beatles, of course. And then, from the Abbey Road album (this is for all those publishers out there), "You Never Give Me Your Money."
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