Alex.J.Cobalt

Social media, along with a fun mix of “look how much this person achieved before they were 30!” media stories, has created an invisible expectation on anyone trying to achieve any goal that you simply must achieve those goals as fast as possible.

“So and So person made their own business by the time they were twenty one”

“So and So other person sold their first book at aged 24 and has now sold six”

“So and So third person is  making multi-millions out of their book deals.”

And so on, and so on.

It’s only been recently (and being cooped up at home has helped this), that I’ve realised this “must achieve the goal as soon as possible” idea is quite frankly, rubbish. Sure, it’s good to have goals. And definitely sure, it’s good to want to achieve those goals by a particular point.

But you don’t have to give up every ounce of yourself to do it.

Life, I find, like writing, is a journey. You might plan to finish up in a particular place, but lo an behold other things come up which direct your journey in a new way. Maybe it’s a new relationship, a new location, a new job. Doesn’t matter what it is, these things happen.

And you know what? That’s life.

Deep down I knew my writing goals were unachievable. Writing a complete draft before the end of 2020, whilst doing some significant house DIY and juggling a full time job was asking a lot of myself. And whilst I’ve had months of really productive writing stints, other months have had different priorities. Most of the time, if I’m honest, that priority was simply resting from everything else that had I had been doing.

Whilst brings me back to today, and this opinion piece. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, with thousands of other things on their plate, trying to juggle multiple goals and obligations simultaneously.

So I want to say to you, dear person, whose in the same position as me: it’s okay if you don’t finish all of your goals now. Or in the next five years. Or even the next ten years.

Taking longer to achieve something does not lessen the nature of that achievement. If you have to scale back you writing time to once or twice a week, whereas before it was every night, then you can do that. It might take you longer to reach your goal, but you’ll be able to keep up the routine much more productively.

How do you go about setting your goals? Do you think your goals need some re-adjustement?

Featured Image Photo by Larisa Birta on Unsplash

• Time for a Change
  Looking back over the past few months, all my monthly blogs have started with a sense of amazement that another month has come and gone. Lockdown continues, and so does work from home, … More Time for a Change
• Autumnal Thoughts (October Update)
  October has been one of those months which has spun past me at a rate of knots. One moment we are mourning the ending of Summer, and the next I find myself flung … More Autumnal Thoughts (October Update)
• Take Your Time (Opinion Blog)
  Social media, along with a fun mix of “look how much this person achieved before they were 30!” media stories, has created an invisible expectation on anyone trying to achieve any goal that … More Take Your Time (Opinion Blog)
• An Achievement Enough (September Update)
  September has been a month which I have barely registered. The combination of a new role at work, along with reaching some “crunch points” in our house DIY projects, have meant not only … More An Achievement Enough (September Update)
• Traditional vs Self Publishing (Opinion Blog)
  First published as part of my Summer Newsletter 2020 – if you’re not signed up to my quarterly newsletters, click here! This month I’ve spent some time researching about publishing, agents, and how … More Traditional vs Self Publishing (Opinion Blog)
• A New Leaf (August Blog)
  And just like that, the end of August arrives. Despite having been out of the September/September school year for quite a few years now, there is still a sense of renewal at the … More A New Leaf (August Blog)