How to Reach Your Goals

Why set goals? Because you can either control your own destiny or hand it

over to circumstance. I'd much rather be acting than reacting. I'd rather have a

plan than have time and tide devour me.

Here's how to set and achieve goals:

Decide exactly what you want to accomplish

You must be specific here, and the goal must be something you can make

happen.

For example, your goal cannot be to become a #1 New York Times

bestselling author. Why? Because that's out of your control. You can't force

bookstores and readers to buy your book.

What can you do instead? You can do what it takes to become a better writer.

You can commit to studying the craft of writing and attending one writers

conference a year. You can commit to studying the market and learning what

sells. Those are things you can control.

If your dream is to win a golf tournament, you set practice goals. That's what

you have within your power.

If you want a certain income, you have to figure out what you can offer that

is of value, and then work on that thing. A lawyer, for example, might decide to

specialize in an area of law. He can then take courses and study that area

thoroughly. He can set up meetings with mentors. He can do things that are

within his power.

The results take care of themselves.

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Record your goals

Recording your goals means writing them down on paper or typing them into a computer file. I actually like doing both. The act of writing down a goal,

placing it on a card I can look at regularly, is a sensory way of getting that goal

firmly implanted in my mind.

I have a corkboard program on my computer. On this board I currently have

18 index cards with my writing projects on them. These projects are in various

stages, but I can see them every day.

I have another place for my get-off-my-butt goals. And still another

document has my long term goals for other parts of my life.

Make plans for your goals

A plan is going to include two things: a deadline and a process.

Deadlines are important because a little time pressure keeps you moving

forward. Write down the date you want to see your goal accomplished.

Next, write out a plan of action. What steps are you going to take to realize

your goal?

For instance, if my goal is to finish a novel by December 31, I can figure out

how many words I'll have to write between now and then. I divide that number

by the number of weeks until the deadline. That gives me a weekly quota of

words to shoot for.

Also, there might be research time I'll need to include. Maybe I have to go to

the location I'm writing about and take some notes and photos. That would be

included in the plan.

Just think of all the necessary steps and write them down. Then you can look

at exactly where you are and what you need to do next. Check off the steps as

you accomplish them. Do this for every goal on your list.

EXAMPLE:

Finish my novel, The Hound of the Basketballs, by December 31.

Need to write 6200 words per week.

Research trip to downtown library, micro-film.

Re-read Sherlock Holmes stories.

Schedule freelance editor six weeks ahead.

Second draft finished by Sept. 30.

Beta readers by Dec. 15.

Polish.

Polish.

Take action every day

Do something, anything, toward your goals, every day. Sure, you're going to

have days when things don't go right. But even on days where activity is limited

you can find one thing that will be a step forward.

For example, I'm always prepared to "write" when I'm not writing. I have

note paper with me and I can jot random thoughts as they occur. I try to keep my

"boys in the basement" (the subconscious mind as described by Stephen King)

busy in their work.

And when you do, you begin to feel enormous confidence. That, in turn, will

motivate you to more action.

You'll be a perpetual goal-achieving machine.

Study, lean and grow in your goal areas

The best way to predict the future is to create it. You do that by study.

Set aside at least one hour a week for reading and studying in a particular

area of your craft.

We expect brain surgeons to keep up on the medical journals. Why should it

be any different for you (aside from the fact that when you make a mistake no

one dies)?

Create self-study programs and put into practice what you learn. There is a

feeling of tremendous empowerment when you follow the step outlined in this

chapter. You will feel yourself getting stronger. You will look marvelous.

It is sometimes said that the way a writer learns to write is by writing. That strikes me as utterly simplistic, like saying the way a golfer learns to golf is by

golfing.

If a wannabe golfer grabs some clubs and just starts hacking, he's going to do

nothing but damage to good grass. What he needs is someone to show him how

to grip a club, the fundamentals of a good swing, some practice drills and so on.

He has to learn to putt and chip, and that doesn't just happen as if a fairy

godmother dinked you with her wand.

Paying a teaching professional for lessons is a better idea.

Then you have to play on some small par 3 courses, get your bearings, get

some confidence. You have to visit the driving range and ingrain your good

habits.

The teaching pro can watch you and help correct mistakes.

It takes a long time to get the hang of that stupid game (I say so in love,

because I did finally figure it out).

So it is with writing.

To make it as a writer you need to be two things: systematic and relentless.

Your system is your process, the things you do on a regular basis.

Being relentless means you never give up. No matter what the setbacks or

obstacles, you just keep moving forward.

These are the subjects of the next two Articles.

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