Have The Goals Failed Already?

January is always known as the month of New Year Resolutions. I heard a statistic that the majority of them…I want to say eighty percent…will fail by February. I said in January that I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. They are too absolute. Instead, I like to do goal setting. Most “experts” say the only way to achieve something is to continually set realistic goals. January is a perfect time. Plus, I revisit my previous year’s goals, following up on what I accomplished and looking toward where I want to go. I like this change in goals. Resolutions are too absolute. What if I decide a few months down the road to change course? Have I failed my “resolution”? Or have I found a goal that suits my purposes more? 

As we entered February…I don’t know about you but it was quite a shock to me…I started thinking: am I where I should be? I think this started because I had made a personal reading goal of 20 books this year. It appears daunting at the moment, as all goals do when starting out. And…I’m pretty sure I’m falling behind pacing. That doesn’t mean I can’t catch up later, but I’m pretty sure I need to accelerate my reading. Of course, this got me to thinking about some of my other goals. 

Where are we on our progress toward our goals? I have set into motion finding a new editor, but that really doesn’t need to happen until the end of the year. I have also set into motion of finding a formatter to help get my books ready for publication on the different forms available. I have started thinking about what marketing things I want to do on Facebook and Twitter, but I haven’t really “done” much yet. When I was evaluating my progress, I thought of that phrase “slow and steady wins the race.” But, having taught high school children, I realize that they may use this phrase but are actually just slacking off. So is it slow and steady or can I be doing more? 

It seems like I always ask myself that question. Is there more I can do? Are there more activities I can squeeze out of one hour? I have found the result is a life that is jam packed with “work” related activities. It certainly isn’t restful. But is this the sacrifice it takes to achieve goals? 

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but there has to be a balance. I think the key is that I am making progress. Is it as fast as I want? No, but I tend to be impatient so most things don’t go at my desired speed. But I have to be okay with that. So, where am I after a month? Still plugging along. And, in the end, that is all that matters. Here’s hoping your goals are going just as well as we enter month two. Don’t be a statistic, that’s my motto.