Goal-setting is something talked about on a frequent basis in the world of entrepreneurs and small business ownership. We are supposed to set SMART goals. We are supposed to be held accountable by ourselves and someone else. We are always reaching for something, the next thing, building on what we have to become a better version of ourselves in the future.
To be honest, I’m not great at goal-setting.
This is probably a huge surprise to most people who know me, because I am always striving, always reaching, and always trying to achieve. But if I’m being honest, I’m afraid of setting goals, and especially afraid of speaking them out loud.
I’m afraid of setting goals that are either too big or too small.
I’m afraid that my goals will change over time and look completely different in a few months.
I’m afraid that people will think my goals are ridiculous.
I’m afraid that my goals won’t make sense to other people, because sometimes they don’t even make sense to my husband and my family.
But my biggest fear is that, if I set a goal and don’t reach it, I will let myself down.
This fear has held me back in ways big and small. Sometimes I don’t even want to think about my goals, because once I get them in my head I feel like a failure if I never hit the mark. One of my goals as a wedding photographer was to photograph an international destination wedding - and that never happened. I am honestly fine with that for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the incredible toll of even limited local travel on myself, my gear, and my family. But admitting that I haven’t yet achieved that goal? That’s hard for me to do.
This year, I’ve started to set goals. I’ve started to dream about the future and embrace the fact that failing to achieve these goals doesn’t mean I’ve actually failed. While I’m not ready to speak these goals out loud yet, the first step is admitting my struggle to begin with, and letting you - my wonderful, faithful readers - hold me accountable to actually setting goals and taking steps toward them.
I’ve been afraid to set goals because I’m ultimately afraid of failure, but what I’ve come to realize is that floundering about with no purpose is far more wasteful than trying my best and falling short. In the worst case scenario, I’ve taken steps and moved forward. And if I’m being really honest, I’ve reached too many goals to count at this point in my life and my business.
Tell me I’m not alone in my fear…and leave a comment so I can cheer you on towards your goals as we strive towards these things together.
