Habits
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Working on more great BoldBrush tech for artists....
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 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."
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