Goals giving you grief? Here's a different angle.

What if goals are not the endpoint, but a catalyst for improved systems?

Goal-setting is often criticized, but is it unduly criticized?

One prevalent critic is James Clear, who states in his book Atomic Habits, "If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead."

By “system”, he's referring to the daily routines, habits, and processes we consistently follow.

This criticism makes sense. You are in complete control of your system, but whether you achieve your goal or not is out of your control. And as philosopher Epictetus has said:

The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.

In other words, you should focus on the things you can control – your system.

I've been a critic of setting goals as well. But then a mentor of mine said something that made me rethink my stance...

He taught me that setting goals, especially ambitious goals, opens up new possibilities in your thinking.

For example, if you set an ambitious goal for your product launch, like making at least 5 figures in sales, it forces you to think, "What do I actually need to do to achieve this goal?" It forces your brain to come up with different, more promising marketing strategies and plans.

He called these types of goals your North Star goals. They're your guiding light, without which you'll sail aimlessly in the dark.

Without North Star goals, you might end up just staying in your comfort zone. With North Star goals, you'll be forced to create systems that produce greater results.

So perhaps it would be in error to think in terms of goals vs. systems. Instead, better goals result in better systems. Which, in turn, results in better outcomes.

After creating your better systems, perhaps you could then set aside your North Star goal. Forget about it. Keep your goal from burdening yourself with unnecessary pressure. It's the right time to pivot your focus on things you can control (systems) from the things you can't control (goals).

Goals are a helpful tool, not something you need to achieve.

And now, to set a goal of having less coffee before writing...
Mitro

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Bite-Sized Brilliance

ie. Interesting articles I’ve read recently. And I thought you might like them too.

"I will not create in fear"

I just fricking love this quote from this post:

…if there was a way of sharing our work with the world without having to share our work with the world then that’d be great.

That would be great! 🤣

Because, you know, sharing can be scary.

However, as the author,

Keeley Rees

, says:

But there’s not. We have to show up.

Another brilliant concept I learned from this essay: The difference between creating from vs. in spite of fear.

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There is only one piece of writing advice

Writers are peculiar people. And they all have their peculiar habits. For example:

Diana Wynne Jones wrote in an armchair with coffee and a cigarette. Anthony Trollope got up at five in the morning and wrote before work, timing himself to make sure he was productive enough. Alice Monroe wrote while her baby napped. Hilary Mantel worked in an office her husband had to collect her from at the end of the day, hungry, tired, in need of a blanket. Maya Angelou wrote on a bed with a Bible and a bottle of sherry. At six-thirty in the morning.

But one thing’s in common with them (and every other writer)… And that’s what this post by

Henry Oliver

is about.

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Stand Tall Like a Tree

I’ve worked in marketing for many years. And you know… That’s a world full of neediness. You may have noticed (you’ve definitely noticed! 😆) that many marketing efforts come across as desperate.

I’ve had to unlearn neediness because I’ve been so immersed in that world for so long.

And that’s why I find this post by

Elliott Fienberg

important.

The author discusses “non-needy artmaking.”

You can tie your self-worth to your creations and seek validation from others…

Or you can focus on your intentions and share art that is true to yourself.

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Note-worthy notes

Sometimes it’s the most unexpected thing that’s going to upset someone!

I remember one time I was giving a presentation about sales pages. One of the example pages I showed tried to persuade the reader to invest in the development of 5G technology. The example page wasn’t written by me, and I took no stance (other than “here’s an interesting example”), yet some people accused me of spreading dangerous information! Because “5G towers might give you diseases”… 🤔

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Let’s end on a lighter note:

Me to my newsletter draft: