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Not a week goes by that I don't see an article with the oft-repeated notion that the likelihood of achievement of a particular goal stems directly from the goal's specificity. I, myself, have in the past recommended detailed goal setting.

The traditional experts' ideas of specificity include: 

1.  A deadline (I will achieve such and such by January 1st) 

2.  Specific Details of the goal (I drive a Red Porsche Carrera) 

3.  Writing the goal down. 

4.  Telling people about the goal. (Hey Fred - I'm going to lose 10 pounds!) 

5.  Reviewing the Goal frequently. (wow! There's my goal on the refrigerator, I almost forgot!) 

Ostensibly, the idea is to break the large goal into smaller, achievable steps and then accomplish them in the allotted time. 

I will admit that elements of this concept are important and valid.  But in some areas of my life, particularly more creative areas, I have had a difficult time truly practicing these techniques. Regarding many endeavors, they all sound wonderfully organized, painfully time-consuming and like budgets, not likely to succeed over the long-term for most of the population.  

Today, I’m exploring the concept that perhaps, at least in some areas of life, a different approach might be more effective. 

Real life is so unpredictable: A mellifluous blending of events, actions, reactions, emotions, and ideas. Even chaos and complexity theories can't reveal to us what a given action portends.  Take something as simple as "I will enjoy margaritas & fajitas for dinner at 6:37 this evening."  This “goal” stands a large probability of failing...especially if you are married dear reader.  It's too specific.  The wife will likely be in the mood for something else. (John my vitamin guru tells me that Mexican food & margaritas do more for a man's health than all of his herbal remedies put together...my wife, of course, feels baby spinach and avocado salads are the way to go).

Perhaps revising the goal would help. “I will have dinner tonight.” Now that's achievable! How about, “I will have a healthy dinner tonight.” Oh my! Better still, “I will make it a habit to have healthy dinners every night.” Now we're cooking with gas!   Except I went exactly backwards from what the "experts" say to do.  They say to make your goals specific and attainable.  I made my goal vague and (for some of us) difficult to attain.

But vague and difficult to attain is where you need to go.  Because your dreams live outside your comfort zone.

What if the key is not necessarily the specificity and deadlines of your goals but in developing the right habits?

The way I generally operate is to organize things so that I'm simply doing the right things daily.   Think about what you want, deep down.  You know what your heart yearns for.   Then do what is necessary to achieve that daily.  And here's the kicker...make improvements in your actions daily, even if the improvement is tiny, and repeat those actions until they become habits.

Take exercise as an example. I don't even list that as a goal anymore. Why Not? Because I've made exercise a habit...just like brushing my teeth. I simply have to do it every day... And I do.  Some days I enjoy it, other days I hate it.  But I do it regardless of how I feel.  Why waste time and paper writing it down and pondering it? No wonder Nike says, “Just do it!”

Exercising daily certainly doesn't guarantee that I'll be healthy. You can't guarantee success, but you can guarantee that you deserve it.

Or, more relevant to BoldBrush, I've cultivated a habit of writing daily (as pictured in the photograph with this article).  I either write code, or write about art marketing.  Most of the creative ideas and products that support our thousands of artist customers have come from my daily writing habit.

Don’t misunderstand me; some areas of life should have specific deadlines set. For example, saving money represents a good area for traditional goal setting. If you want to save $1,200 in one year, you can set your target end date and break it up into saving chunks of $100 per month. How nice, neat and organized.  

But how do you set a specific date goal regarding “improving my painting skills?” It seems to me that some areas of life, particularly the most important areas, aren’t as easy to quantify into specific date oriented goals.  It's better to simply improve your painting skills every day until it is such a habit that improving your painting is just part of your character. 

If you honestly improve your artistic skills every single day, I can’t guarantee success. But I can guarantee that you will deserve it.

Carolyn Henderson put it this way:

Your true goals -- the ones that simply won’t go away no matter how much others, or you yourself, try to talk yourself out of them -- are ones you don’t need to write down on paper because they are written down on your heart. One way or another, you will reach them -- but because the process of getting there changes you, don’t be surprised that your dreams change as well.

I can't say it any better than that.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic

PS - “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Character is everything.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

PPS - Frank Outlaw added, "Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."