New Years is the perfect time to evaluate your strengths and weakness and make a plan to make it to the next level.  It’s a great opportunity to make impactful goals that will lead us to success.  You will never make it as a musician if you don’t have solid goals.

How will you reach your musical goals this year?

When you first think about goal setting, the idea of just writing out some statement and posting it on your wall comes to mind. That is why so many people fail at there goals.  There is a science… no, an art to writing great goals.

Good goals make you feel good, great goals propel you to your achievement.

Setting Great Goals for Sucess

To start make sure any goal is SMART which is; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.  Here is a breakdown of what makes a great goal.

• Specific – It is much better to say you will know how to play one song on the guitar then to “be great at music”.  Be as specific as you can.
• Measurable – Set what will be the meter for success. Is it learning one song? Is it your first gig? Can’t really finish your goal unless you have the finish line set.
• Achievable – A little bit of introspection goes a long way. Ask yourself how realistic are the goals based on your life, skill set, and financial factors.
• Relevant – You probably have bigger life goals. You should make sure that this goal really matters to you and can fit within your bigger life goals.
• Timely – This is often the most overlooked. You can’t wrap your head around something that is open-ended. Having a set deadline is important.

Once you got your SMART goal you are all set to succeed. Right? Well, there are a few other things that increase your chance for success.

Following Through With Your Goals

There are a few proven things to help you accomplish your goals.  Research has shown us that having accountability partners as a huge motivating force.  Having a weekly check-in with someone massively increases your likelihood of doing it.  You’re not just letting yourself down, but you’re letting someone else down.

You also want to add Forming Habits.  You can’t just add a goal, you need it to be habitual. There are three R’s to habits; routine, reward, and reminder. When you have the trifecta of these forces, you are guaranteeing your goal to become a habit.

To help reinforce your goals, I put together an 8-week email course on goal setting. It is free for those interested in getting a routine of working on their goals.  Seriously… I don’t want people to just join this course and not do anything. It takes me time and money to send these things out. If you join, commit to your future music and achieving your goals.

Join the email course for worksheets, creative prompts, and more. Let’s bring this new year in right.