Motivational Quote #18

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."--Michelangelo

The aspiring author sets goals on a daily or weekly basis--at least if he takes his career seriously, he does. In my articles for Writer2Writer I speak about setting goals often. Setting realistic goals is vital to a writer's success and productivity.

But why don't we want to set goals that are easily reached? Won't that still provide us with a sense of accomplishment?

Well, if you're new to goal setting, it might be a good idea to set some easy goals that you know you can achieve. But what will motivate you to keep going? If you're always setting goals that you achieve without a great deal of effort, it's like being the A student in a C-level high school course--you won't be challenged and eventually it's no longer fun to keep trying.

That's why setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is so important to aspiring authors. A realistic goal is one that you should be able to achieve, but also one that requires you to put in some effort.

What are some of the S.M.A.R.T. goals that you have set for yourself this year?

Latest Writer2Writing Article Now Online

My article for the January issue of Writer2Writer is now available at their website. Stick to It: Tips to Help You Stick to Your Writing Goals will help you stay focused on your writing goals all year long.

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Motivational Quote #16

"Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."--James Cash Penney

Sometimes you get lucky and you stumble upon great quotes without really trying. Such was how I found this one. And with the coming of the new year and the thought of new goals, this quote is perfect.

Before sharing my thoughts on Penney's quote, however, I will have to admit my ignorance. I did not know that James Cash Penney--the son of a farmer and Baptist minister--founded J.C. Penney. Now, why that wasn't obvious to me, I don't know, but it showed me once again the amazing power of the Internet when I popped his name into Google and was led to a site about famous Missourians.

Now let's talk about Penney's quote. The topic of goals comes up often in my articles for Writer2Writer. Many of those articles discuss creating to-do lists and breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks.

But here Penny focuses on the reverse, praising the benefit of long-term goals. Just yesterday, I set my goals for the first quarter of 2009. I have a lot planned, even though I know I might need to make some changes if I have to return to working outside of my home.

Every week I write a to-do list based upon my long-term goals. This helps keep me focused on the big picture and allows me to feel a sense of accomplishment when I've checked off one of the items on my to-do list.

Do I beat myself up when I don't accomplish it all?

No, and this is exactly what Penney is getting at with his remarks. Having that long-term goal in sight allows us as aspiring authors not to get bogged down when by the end of the week we haven't accomplished everything we planned to. Unexpected things happen: our children get sick, we have to work an additional shift, the car breaks down, we're just too darn tired to handle one more thing; you name it, it can happen.

But by setting S.M.A.R.T. long-range goals, we don't need to worry about it when the unexpected happens.

To find out more about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, visit my article at the Writer2Writer website. You'll find it here.

Speaking of successful long-range goals, in 2002, the J.C. Penney Company celebrated one hundred years in business. The company is still one of America's largest retailers.

Motivational Quote #6

I could not have picked this one any better if I tried. At the Muse Conference this week the members of the Organize Your Writing Life workshop have been talking about setting SMART goals, killing procrastination, ending distractions, organizing your writing space, setting priorities, using to-do lists, and streamlining.

One of the things I've continued to state this week is that each person has the power to achieve his or her dreams if he/she uses it. How fitting, then, that I would find this quote today:

"It's time to start living the life you've imagined." - Henry James

So, are you going to use the power you have to achieve your dreams?