Stop Letting Your Goals Make You A Prisoner.

When I launched my podcast in February, I set up a list of goals as long as my arm. These goals ranged in scope and nature from small to large, easy to very difficult.

It was a fun process to set goals, some easy ones, some stretch goals, and some in-between. But really, it was a way for me to dream.

My goals could be anything because I didn’t have to do them yet. My goals could be 10,000 downloads by March or 1,000,000,000 subscribers by December.

Whatever they were, it was cool. Cool to dream of things that were unlikely, but maybe possible. After all, Charli D’Amelio gained 22 Million followers in 7 months on TikTok, so couldn’t I grow a lot, too?

Anything is possible while you’re dreaming.

But then reality set in. I had other responsibilities. I couldn’t make sure every episode got 100s of streams, and I couldn’t make sure I got every listener to become a subscriber and a fan. Some episodes gained more traction than others, and my subscriber base ebbed and flowed, seemingly at random.

It turns out, growing a podcast can actually be tough. Who would have guessed?

But I put in really consistent work anyway, and you know what? I still missed most of my goals.

No, not because they weren’t SMART. Because I couldn’t control them.

Why Do We Set Goals We Can’t Control?

When it comes down to it, goals are a way to track and motivate progress. It’s a way to measure what’s being done and encourage hard work.

But if that’s the purpose, why are most goals out of our control?

Because honestly, I can’t control how many views this post gets.

I can’t control how many followers I gain from it

I can’t control how much money I make from the Medium Partner Program.

I can’t control any of that.

If that was something that could be controlled, everyone could become rich and famous. It would just be a matter of hard work.

But sometimes, performance is just dumb luck.

And why would I set goals that rely on luck? Where’s the motivating aspect of that?

No, I’m done with those goals.

Instead, I’ve begun to set goals that are in my control.

My Goals Are Focused On Me

My goals are now focused solely on things that I can actually control. Instead of having goals based on their reception, my goals are based on my production.

I am writing one blog per day.

I am writing blogs consistently for 30 days and then I’m re-evaluating how often I should write.

I am continuing to evaluate my work and have it looked over by editors to improve my writing and develop my voice.

None of that can be stopped by external factors. I actually can accomplish my goals, no luck included. That’s really really motivating.

Now, do I still care about things like followers, subscribers, and the reception of my posts? Definitely. And evaluating what’s working and what’s not is a great way to continue growing as a writer. But those aren’t my specific goals, just variables I’m evaluating.

I don’t have a goal for how many followers I have on Medium by October 1st. I do have a goal for how many blogs I want to post, how many average words my blogs are, and how many new publications I get in.

Because those are things that I can control, and they will lead to more followers, more reads, and better production.

But my goals are only what I can control.

This encourages me to continue improving, to set myself up well for success, and to thrive in my work. But it also doesn’t set me up for failure.

Setting goals I can’t control sets me up for failure.

Instead, these goals set me up for success. Because most of my work won’t hit. A lot of my posts get double-digit views, and some even have single-digit views. I wouldn’t consider those posts a success.

But my goals encourage me to take better shots.

After all, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky

Setting goals that actually motivate me encourages me to take more shots and to take better shots.

This way, more of my content will start to gain traction, and I’ll start to grow my following, grow my earnings, and be able to rely more on my work as a way to grow and succeed.

Because I need to be able to focus on the things I can control. Nothing else is up to me.

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