Goals are important!

Stack of sketchbooks completed in one year after committing to drawing everyday

It’s the new year and I just wanna share with you my thoughts about how goals are so important, however there is a risk that they can also become mental weights around our neck if we do not incorporate them in a thoughtful and kind way.

If I had not set out to create a five-year plan in 2004, I would never have made the switch from architect to artist. The same goes for the multi-year plan I made to get my art up to standard to get into a gallery. All of my big accomplishments in life and art have become reality because they were first a thought that became a goal.

I have always made a point of identifying what I wanted to achieve and then reverse engineering those things into bite-size chunks so I can achieve them.

The way I work on my annual goals is that I set the big overarching goals at the beginning of the year, I get mentally committed to them and then I begin to chip away at them every day.

I have a project and monthly review work sheets that I have developed and I even have a daily journaling prompt that helps me stay motivated. Because let’s face it there are always times when your brain wants to talk you out of your commitments to yourself. Often because your brain is telling you that it’s too much work, it’ll be too hard, and it’s just too much effort, and may be a little bit scary.

Last year I created a 24 page workbook that outlines my methodology for assessing the past year and also planning for the new one.

The workbook is organized into two parts:

Part 1: Assessing the previous year and planning for the future year.

1.Reflect on the previous year

2. Figure out how you want to feel in the new year.

3. List out all of your goals

4. Constrain your focus by identifying your overarching intention to the year

Part 2: Implementing the actions to achieve the goals you made in Part 1.

1. Aligning your goals with your intentions

2. Categorizing your Goals

3. Planning for individual projects

4. Monthly reviews

This past week I’ve been working through the steps in this workbook and making plans for the year to come. I am excited for the new year, and I am excited for the paintings I will create and the classes I will teach.

I have some big things I want to accomplish this year, and I know I have a chance of achieving them because I take the time to plan and strategize ways of getting there.