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Today’s goal setting tip for 2008 is simply this:

Don’t load yourself down with a dozen or more goals for the year. Stick to ONLY three goals right now.

Who says you have to set goals only once a year?

Whenever you mark off a goal from your list because you’ve reached it, set a new goal.

If you set too many goals at once, you’ll never be able to focus on ALL of them at once.

Make it easier on yourself by setting no more than three goals at the start of the year.

Then, at the end of the month, look at your progress.

If you’ve reached any of these three goals, mark them off the list, and set a new goal to take the place of each goal you’ve already reached.

Try it!

Suzanne Lieurance
The Working Writer’s Coach

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Do you know the reason many people fail to achieve their goal or goals?

It’s because they set goals that don’t really matter to them that much.

Many people are afraid to set goals that really, really matter to them because they’re so afraid they won’t accomplish these goals.

So, it’s much better to just continue dreaming about what they want rather than setting actual goals that require specific ACTIONS to take if the goals are going to be reached.

This leads me to today’s goal setting tip: Stop dreaming about what you want! Set a goal that really, really matters to you!

In other words, change your thinking.

Stop “dreaming” about what you want out of life, and start “working” to get it.

Make it a goal.

You don’t have to work toward your goal alone.

Find someone who really wants you to succeed and ask for their help.

Try it!

goal setting, how to achieve your goals, tips for setting goals

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As a children’s writing instructor and a writing coach, I help writers set their writing and publishing goals at the start of each new year.

In the next few days, I’d like to share a few tips for setting your writing and publishing goals for 2008.

Here’s today’s tip:

When setting your goal(s), make sure each goal is something you have control over.

Many writers set goals like: I want to have three published stories in Highlights magazine by the end of this year.

That may sound like a great goal. But actually, the writer really has no control over whether or not three of his/her stories will be accepted and published in Highlights or any other magazine.

So, if the person setting this goal isn’t able to make this happen, he/she feels like a failure, when actually, his/her stories may have been rejected by Highlights (or any other magazine) for a variety of reasons that the writer has no control over.

A much better goal would be this: I plan to SUBMIT three stories to Highlights magazine this year.

See why that’s a much better goal?

You DO have control over this.

You CAN make this happen.

You CAN write and submit 3 stories to Highlights (or any other magazine) this year.

And, at the end of the year, you will have met your goal – whether or not the stories were accepted for publication.

Eventually your stories will be accepted for publication in the magazines you are submitting them to if:

1) you have learned what it takes to write a good story for kids,

2) you’ve constantly practiced writing and improving your work, and

3) you’ve done your market research so you are actually sending your stories to appropriate markets (by that I mean, the magazines that are right for the types of stories you are writing).

Look at your goals today.

Do you have control over whether or not you reach these goals?

If not, rethink your goals.

Create goals that are not dependent on outside forces, things you really have no control over.

Then do whatever it takes to achieve those goals this year!

Happy writing!

Suzanne Lieurance
The Working Writer’s Coach

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Do you need a little help setting goals for your writing career in 2008?

If so, plan to join Suzanne Lieurance, The Working Writer’s Coach, next Thursday night, December 20th, at 7:00 central time for a free teleseminar called Set Your Sights on Success in 2008!

During this free 55 minute teleseminar, you’ll learn how to set your writing and career goals for 2008. You’ll also learn the steps you must take in order to reach those goals.

To receive an email invitation to this free event, send an email to [email protected] with the words “free goal setting teleseminar” in the subject line.

Get the help you need to succeed in 2008. Plan to take part in this exciting teleseminar to help take your writing career to the next level in the New Year!

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I did it, people. I achieved my summer goals. And the funny thing is, I wouldn't even have known about it, if Franki at A Year of Reading hadn't blogged the question: So how did those Summer Goals go?

For those of you who missed my comment to that post, here's what I said:

Oh, my...you reminded me to go back and look at what I posted on my website as goals.

And I am SHOCKED. I actually did ALL of them. And this is me, who doesn't even bother to do New Year's Resolutions because I'm so sure I won't keep them. What happened? Was it the public nature of the posting? I'm thinking I may have to blog about this! And I'm thinking my new goals are going to be earn a million, travel to Bali, and have Lyle Lovett write a song to me.

(To Franki) I LOVED your self-check in. No waffling. Just NOPE where appropriate. I think it's important to acknowledge that sometimes we make goals for ourselves that just don't work.

As much as I want this post to be a funny riff on those imagined new goals---oh, please, Lyle...I'll even go motorcycle riding with you---I think I really should address that last sentence instead:


I read once that we should always be clear about what standards we're holding ourselves to. If we don't, those unwritten standards (goals) are likely to be things like:

1. Write the most awesome children's book that has ever existed in all of time.

2. Love my work every second of every day and never doubt myself or wonder if I should be healing the sick or teaching or baking coma-inducing cappuccino muffins.

3. Be fabulous at everything, including public speaking, self-promotion, time-management, and rainmaking, but remain humble, lovable and sane through it all.

On the other hand, if we use our creative powers to come up with goals that are attainable right from the get-go, they just might motivate us. Remember the drawing class I blogged about? Well, I often panicked in that class because I wasn't any good. Here's how my brain dealt with that: I SUCK! I'M THE WORST ARTIST ON THE PLANET! I SHOULD GIVE UP AND DIE RIGHT NOW! But then I remembered my goals in taking that class:

1. To learn something new (Yes, yes, I was doing that.)

2. To experience the terror of trying something I knew I was bad at, to learn to deal with fear (Yes, yes, totally succeeding at that.)

3. To gain insight into my writing. (Um, well, I was running to my journal after each class, so yes, yes to this one, too.)

4. To enjoy myself. (No, not right at this second. But I can fix that.)

You see, nowhere in those goals was: be a great artist. Be the best drawer in the class. Have my own gallery show after a month. That would have been ridiculous. Except that in my writing life, I do this to myself all the time. I set goals in my head that are not attainable right from the start.

So, how low can your bar go?

1. Think about writing a novel at least once a day.

2. Pick up my notebook and hold it.

3. Enjoy walking to the mailbox to see if there's good news in it.


You think I'm kidding, don't you? But I'm not. Every one of your goals should be attainable. At least one of them should contain the word ENJOY. And none of them should make you feel like a failure.

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