Imagine that you are a competing in archery and you don’t have a target. You would always miss the target and your arrows would spread in every direction. That is how most people chose to live their lives. Of course, that is totally fine. With many things, there is a joy to just taking them as they come and see how it goes. However, when it comes to competitive things that matter to you, you wouldn’t leave it to chance, would you?
If you make a target, then you have something to aim for. Your arrows will go towards that target and with practice, eventually, you will become better and better.
Just to think about goals make you frown a little bit right? You might probably also think goal setting is really boring and it is hard to stick to your goals. Or is it? Well, fortunately, there is a structured way you can set up your goals and increase your chances to hit your target drastically! In this lesson we will teach you:
- Why it is important to set goals.
- How you could set up your goals to succeed in your music.
- How goals work.
- Why it is important for Record Labels and other parties
So let’s get to work: If you are not sure where you are going with your music, how could you structure yourself to go there?
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Some benefits of goal setting #
- Specific and ambitious goals lead to better performance than easy and general goals.
- Goal setting can lead to more effective effort and get more things done in a shorter time span. It will give you short-term motivation and long-term vision.
- You will become more persistent and likely work through setbacks if you are thriving towards a goal.
- Goal setting will help you prioritize and organize. If you know what you want and you have to choose what to do with your time, you will choose the things that will more likely help you reach your goals.
- Ambitious goals can make you more interesting for others to join your cause. For example, other band members, promotion companies, record labels want to hear that you know what you want with your music and that you have a real plan.
Is there a true end goal? #
If you allow us to be a little deep here, the ultimate true goal for most people is happiness. Happiness is what most people want, but people define it differently. The most common ingredients of happiness are these qualities:
- Safety, Health, and Energy
- Loving relationships with your family and others
- Meaningful work and self-fulfilment
- Financial freedom
- Contribution and inner peace
The next lesson is a goalsetting quest that is developed in order for you to succeed in your music career, which can affect all of the above ingredients of happiness. But you can do this exercise in every part of your life. We encourage you to do this to find a balance. However, to complete the next lesson you only need to do this for your music career. Only 3% of adults in the world set goals for themselves. If you do, it will be much more likely that you succeed at what you are doing. That leads us to how you can structure your goals.
How to set up goals #
When asking an upcoming artist about their goals, we typically hear these answers:
- I want to make a living on my music.
- I want as many people as possible to hear my music.
- I want to be as good as possible.
If you are thinking in the same patterns, stop! The reason why those goals aren’t going to help you is that:
- They are too vague.
- It’s impossible to know when they’re complete.
- You don’t know when they should be completed.
The above mistakes are the most common when it comes to musicians. Maybe you wonder how you should phrase your goals?
Here’s how it works in short #
- State the goal.
- Define the Deadline.
- Write down obstacles.
- What knowledge and abilities need to be developed?
- Which organizations, Groups and People can help you?
- What are the benefits of reaching the goal?
- Make the Plan.
Here’s a more detailed view of how it works:
State the goal #
Decide exactly one thing of what you want in your music career and write it down. What should be accomplished in order for you to take your music career to the next level? Here is some advice when stating your goal:
- Make your goals really specific so that it is measurable. For example, 15.000 plays per months on Spotify is measurable. (How many? How much? How will I know it is accomplished?)
- Your goal should be realistic and relevant (Is it the right time? Worthwhile? Does it match your efforts/needs? Are you the right person to complete it or should you ask for help? How can it be accomplished? How realistic is it?)
- Your goals should be accepted. This is really important if you are playing in a band so that all of the band members have accepted and are committed to the same goal.
- Make sure you have no other conflicting goals. Like pursuing a job career at the same time as becoming a well-known musician.
- Focus on one goal.
Deadline for the goal #
You need a deadline for your goal even if it is hard to know exactly what a realistic goal could be. If you don’t know when a goal should be accomplished it will take a longer time to achieve it.
What are the obstacles? #
What are the bottlenecks that determine the speed at which you can achieve your goal? Why haven’t you reached your goal already? What is the largest single obstacle? Begin with that. Do not think about solutions yet. Just the obstacles.
What additional knowledge, skills, abilities do you need to develop? #
To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must do things you’ve never done before. Ask yourself if you need to develop knowledge and skills that you do not currently have.
Which organizations, people, and groups could help you? #
Big goals require the active cooperation of lots of people. What will you have to do to earn their support and backing? What’s in it for them? Try to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Remember, it’s all about relationships. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if it is in the form of advice and introductions from the people you know. One person, one contact, can make all the difference between success and failure.
Which organizations, people, and groups could help you reach your goals?
What are the benefits of reaching your goal? #
After focusing a while on the obstacles and what you need in order to achieve your goals, listing the benefits of achieving your goal can be a nice break. This will help you stay motivated, and to make sure why you are trying to achieve them. If you can’t answer why you are doing it in the first place, it is time to start all over.
Make the plan #
Planning is a huge piece of the puzzle. That’s why we have dedicated a whole lesson to this matter.