How to Make SMART Goals
We were in the middle of our training when Holly, theRecord Label’s Media Coach, said, “Remember, in the minds of your fans, you’re doing something they’ve always dreamed of, but never had the courage to do.”
I was part of the Gibson/Miller Band at the time, and we were learning how to best handle the pressures of interviews and fans as the band began to succeed. I remember being caught off guard by her statement because in my mind, I had simply walked out the big dream since I was a kid. I hadn’t ever thought about courage, I just did the one thing I knew how to do: play drums.
Big Dreams.
If there’s one thing I know about musicians, it’s that they are big dreamers. My experience meeting thousands of players, singers, songwriters and artists over the years has shown me that most musicians are just like I was: talented people with big dreams.
Some succeed, but most don’t.
“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” Earl Nightingale
Big Goals
The difference between those that succeed and those that don’t always comes down to the fact that only a small percentage of musicians back up their big dreams with big goals. Big goals that they use to define everything they say and do so that they constantly move toward their big dream.
Here’s how you can do the same.
Write
It’s been proven again and again that people who write down goals are more likely to achieve them than those that don’t. I believe there are two reasons for this.
First, the act of taking out a piece of paper and a pen – or laptop – forces you to carefully consider what it is you truly want. This alone is profound because as Jim Rohn says, “I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives.”
Second, once you’ve written down these carefully considered goals, they seem believable and therefore, doable.
SMART Goals
If you’ve never written goals before, you may be wondering how and where to start. That’s where the acronym S.M.A.R.T. can help. Each letter stands for an important guideline for creating great goals.
Specific – First and foremost, a goal has to be specific or you’ll never know if (a) you’re making progress or (b) you’ve reached it. When I was a musician, my “goal” was to make a living in the music business. That is NOT a goal. What exactly is a living? $50,000 a year? $200,000? And in the music business is way too broad too.
Yuck! No wonder I failed to build a long-term career.
Measurable – Remove or rewrite anything on your list that can’t be measured. For example, as previously explained, making a living is not measurable. However, making $75,000 per year or playing drums on an international, 100 city tour are both examples of clearly measurable goals.
Attainable – The question here is whether the goal can be reached by you. For instance, if you have an extreme fear of flying, playing drums on an international, 100 city tour is unattainable for you.
Realistic – While attainable is about you, realistic is about external factors. Making $75,000 a year as a drummer is realistic. Making $75 Billion a year as a drummer is probably not – there aren’t enough music lovers in the world.
Time based – It’s not enough that each goal is specific, measurable, attainable by you and realistic, it also has to have a target date on it. A target date solidifies the goal and forces you to figure out what to do each day to make the target.
“Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines.” – Brian Tracy
Here’s a dream with a deadline: I will make $75,000 per year playing drums on an international, 100 city tour beginning in 2 years.
Display Them
Now that you have a list of S.M.A.R.T. goals, put it where you’ll see it, often. This will remind you of what you need to be doing each day, what you DON’T need to be doing each day, and allow you to celebrate the minor victories along the way.
After 20 years as a professional drummer, Steve Grossman left the music business for a career in the “Real World.” Learn how NOT to follow in his footsteps atwww.whyifailed.com
