Succeeding with your goals this year

Succeeding with your goals this year

It’s February, how are your goals coming? Let’s revist how you are setting your goals and some tips to keep them going. It’s easy to set goals. We all can do it? How many of us have set goals and never reached them? We all have. We may do it all the time. You have to ask yourself why you do not fulfill the goals you set? Are they out of reach? Are you following through? There can be a number of reasons why we fail at goals we set. Ultimately the common denominator is you. You are the reason you fail or succeed in your goals. Instead of setting your goals like you always have, take a good look about what you can do different this year so you are successful in what you are setting out to do this year.

Here are a few suggestions to help you apply in your life for succeeding this year in both the professional and personal outlook for yourself.

1. Obviously write them down. If you are married or have a partner, do this with them. This allows several things to happen. When you and your partner discuss goals you are both setting, it allows you to both be on the same page and provides accountability. In addition to be held accountable, if you aren’t on track, chances are your partner will call you out on it and it will bring you closer together.
2. Under those goals, write mini goals that will allow you to achieve your main goal. For example, you can’t just say you are planning on loosing 10 lbs. You have to write down HOW you plan to lose 10 lbs. Start with I will skip every other day drinking soda. Once I can handle skipping every other day, I will only have a soda twice a week. Be specific in how you plan to achieve those goals.
3. Don’t just focus your goals in one area of your life. If you have photography goals that’s great but have goals that hit every aspect of your life. This includes: Social, Professional, Financial, Intellectual, Family, Spiritual, Physical When you create goals that cover all aspects of your life, you are more likely to succeed. It’s like a tire without a flat. You keep the circle going and your path is easier to navigate. Take each aspect of your life and be specific as you can in each of those areas.
4. Don’t be public about it! Research is showing that if you are social and public about your goals, you are actually LESS likely to achieve them. I too was surprised by this. Keep them between you and your partner. Allow your goals to help you grow within yourself and with your partner.
5. It’s okay to fail. If you find you aren’t keeping up with your goals, don’t be discouraged. You are the common denominator. Find a new way that will make it work for you. Evaluate your list, figure out why it wasn’t attainable. Was it too much too soon? Give yourself reasonable deadlines and take things day by day.

Some common and fairly simple photographer goals this year:

1. Listen to at least one podcast about photography. You can do this easily within your car or working out.
2. Each quarter create your own self assignment. Ideas can include: Picking a color and using that color as a dominant theme in your images, Focus on shapes, Try reflections, Only shoot black & White. There’s tons of self assignment ideas you can search for on the web.
3. Watch one new tutorial a month on something you don’t know or need to improve upon with your post production.
4. Go to at least one or two new social meetups within your photography community this year.

As you can see, writing down some simple goals can help you see and visualize the steps needed to improve every aspect of your life including your photography.

Follow Pamela on IG & Twitter @pamelaannberry and view her other articles here: http://photofocus.com/author/pamelaannberry/

---

Filed under: Business, Inspiration, Photography Tagged: goals, inspiration, Pamela Ann Berry, Pamela Berry, photography