If you haven’t already taken the steps outlined in the previous story, you may recognize yourself in one of the following excuses. As creative people, we can come up with some pretty clever rationalizations for not having written goals – and they’re all bogus.

“I already have goals’.  Fair enough. Are they written down? Can you spell them out? True goals – the kind that work, anyway are written down. As a result, they can be reviewed, revamped and recalled, guiding your everyday actions and decisions.

‘I set New Year’s resolutions every January, and by February I’m back to my old ways. Goal setting does not work”.  There is a big difference between goals and resolutions. One works and the other does not. Resolutions are often unrealistic and impulsive. You are initially exceited about them, but there is no real commitment, so you’re quickly discouraged and distracted. Written goals, on the other hand, involve some real soul searching.  When you are doing what you really want to do, you’re more likely to follow through

‘Setting goals is overwhelming, complicated and too much work’. This excuse boils down to not knowing how to set goals. When you follow the steps in this guide, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and you’ll also start developing a skill that will help you do what you need to do

‘I’m too busy living my life, man’ Besides you can’t know what is going to happen in the future’.  Live for today, we can all die tomorrow right? Wrong, you can live another decade or more 🙂 That gives you a lot of life to live – with or without goals. Having written goals gives peace of mind, clarity of thought, and hope for the future. It motivates you, guiding your daily decisions so you can make the most of that unforeseenable future.

‘Written goals will make me boring and predictable and stifle my creativity’. Okay, so write them down in pencil. Change or refine them as often as you like. But get them down on paper first. Otherwise you’re likely to be bored, frustrated and stifled, the very things you want to avoid. You don’t have to set your goals in concrete – but if they are in sand, the tide can come and wash them away. Setting real goals involves self knowledge, and self-knowledge alone can help you chart a better course.

I don’t have time to set goals. Make it a priority. Do what you can now, however small it is. You’ll be surprised at how little steps can add up.  Being too busy can be a symptom that you’re afraid to slow down and really take a look at yourself and make decisions about what to do when you grow up.  Your life is frittered away on endless details and mindless errands.

“Written goals? That is serious stuff. I do not know if i am ready for that big a step” These excuses reflect closely held fears. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of change, fear of c….c…commitment. When you let fear get in the way, you’ll always play it safe, never writing that book or opening that business or taking your paintings to a gallery show. That can lead to feelings of anger, frustration, depression and lack of motivation. The answer is to take smaller steps. Setting goals doesn’t mean making sweeping changes that you are not prepared for. You don’t necessarily have to quit your job; you just need to take the first step toward achieving what you want, or you’ll never get anywhere

‘What will others think if I try for more?’ or ‘I know I could do more, but I’m satisfied with what i have now’.  Low self esteem is a deep down feeling that you don’t deserve to be happy and successful.  Why shouldn’t you have all the things you desire? You deserve it as much as everyone else. Don’t let others make important choices for you.

‘There are too many things i want to do, and I don’t want to choose just one’. You don’t have to choose just one. You can have several goals or one overriding goal, a quest, a mission and several goals that support it.