The Power of Goals

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To say that 2020 has not gone according to plan is a gross understatement. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused my gigs to be cancelled one by one. I am sure most of you have experienced the same. What are we as musicians to do? This is where I learned the power of goals.

In the past, I have not been an advocate for goals setting but this year, I decided to set some goals. I am glad I did. Having those goals has helped me focus even though the world has changed dramatically. Here are some things I did to make goals the are still valid through all those changes.

1) Start with a Vision of Where You Want to Be

You have probably heard the phrase, "Begin with an end in mind." That is key to goal setting. If your goals are not moving you toward a vision of where you want to be then you are on going to waste time going in the wrong direction. Figure out where you want to be then you can pick goals to get you there.

2) Pick One or Two Goals

Once you have your vision, it is time to set some goals to get you there. Visions are big things. There may be several things you need to do to reach your vision but you cannot do them all at once. It is important to focus on one or two goals and not a large number of goals. You only have so much time during the day for pursuing your goals. You need to focus on those goals with intent which will take a large amount of your energy. It is better to be completely focused and succeed on one goal than to divide your focus on 5 goals you will not achieve.

Along the same lines, your goal should be something you can achieve in a reasonable timeframe. Find something you believe you can do in less than a year. If it will take longer than a year, develop some interim goals to get you down the path. I find goals that are too big are demotivating instead of motivating.

3) Make Your Goals Independent

To be successful, you need goals you can control. I find goals that are dependent on chance or things outside of my control to be demotivating. I am not motivated by a goal that I know there is a chance I cannot complete despite my best effort. What I do is set goals that get me toward my vision in a way that I am accountable. 

A sports analogy is useful to explain this. Let's say you want to be a professional golfer (your vision). You might set a goal to win a spot in the US Open by winning in a US Open qualifier tournament. Can you truly control that goal? You cannot control how any competitors will play. You cannot control the way the ball may bounce. What you can control is how you prepare for the tournament. Instead of setting your goal to win the tournament, focus your goals on getting your skills to the level in order to win. The same is true for your musical goals. Make them something that you are responsible for the outcome and you will be more motivated to complete them.

4) Determine How to Measure Your Progress

Peter Drucker said, "What gets measured, gets managed." Being able to measure your progress helps you understand how you are doing at achieving your goal.  If you cannot measure your progress you do not know if you are improving or when you will be done.

One of my goals this year is to improve my sight reading and bowing. To measure this, I have some music books I want to work through this year. I practice each exercise until I can play the exercises at an acceptable level. I move to the next exercise once I feel I have achieved what I wanted from that exercise. By using this method, I can see my progress with each turn of the page.

5) Budget Your Time

Make sure you set time aside for your goals. It is easy to get caught up in the urgent and forget about the longterm. I try to get through 3 areas everyday to help me move forward on my goals. Currently my 3 areas are scales / bowing, musicality, and electric bass.

Once I get through those 3, the rest of my practice time is free for gigs or things that interest me at that moment. 

6) Adjust as Needed

Things don’t always work out as plan. I reassess my practice plan every month. I think about what has been working what has not. For instance, I used to use Hal Robinson’s Stroking and Boardwalkin for scale and bow exercises. Those are great books but when I was introduced in to Billé 18 Studies in All Keys, I switched because I liked the more melodic approach in those studies.

Conclusion 

In summary, here are three things to remember.

1. Use goals to keep you on course through the tough times.
2. Keep your goals small and simple to keep your focused.
3. Adjust your goals as needed.