Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Teeny Tiny Goal Stepping Stones

Hello all!

Today I'm talking about goals. Sometimes it's difficult not to fall victim to the rejections in this industry. We may have 10 fulls out but slowly they begin to trickle in with some seriously kind rejections, but they sting nonetheless. Some days we feel like failures for not having an agent or for not selling that manuscript after it has been shopped around to editors.

I'm going to remind you all to remember that goals are all tangible and made up of teeny, tiny little goal stepping stones. Getting an agent is an intangible goal. Why? Because we have no control over another person's decision. So what DO we have control over? Puttin' out an awesome manuscript. So tangible goals are writing 5k a week or 1k a day or 200 words a day. Make it work for YOU. The reason we feel terrible when we don't cross things off our to-do list is because we feel like we haven't accomplished anything.

Repeat after me. MAKE SURE YOUR GOALS ARE REALISTIC.

If you know that with the kids, the hubby OR while in school and with the senior year group projects down your throat you can only write 3 days a week and only 500 words a pop, then only write that. Don't feel bad that the goal is small. It just means it is realistic and accomplishable AND it'll give you that happy boost that gets us all going.

Remember, everything is a process. It takes steps, teeny, tiny goal stepping stones.

Cheers,

~Liz

6 comments:

  1. This is great. It's a great motivator.

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  2. Yes! And goals can change from day to day. Fluidity is key so that you don't' start to feel overwhelmed.

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  3. Exactly Nicole! Great point :)

    And SC Author--glad it's helpful!

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  4. Yes! Being able to dream but still see the real picture is wise. Also, being sensitive to our smaller accomplishments goes a long way to helping us achieve our larger goals.

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  5. I so agree that goals should be realistic - why set ourselves up to fail. There's enough to discourage us in this business without shooting ourselves in the foot first.

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