We’re a proponent of setting goals. They don’t have to be too detailed and you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you miss some, but it’s good to know where you’re going with your writing.
In a new post, Mary Carroll Moore says she like to set specific and random goals. “I do this because I want to make room for changes and growth along the way, because what I aim for now might be limited to what I currently see as possible,” she explains. “I’ve learned the hard way that the universe surprises, constantly. Goals can be derailed by unexpected life changes.”
Moore uses a tool that asks you to envision what your life will look like by a set point in time, like a resume, but for a future you. With this exercise, you start from the end point as if you’ve already reached it. For your writing life, Moore suggests creating one “presume” for the skills you’d like to master and another for the output you’d like to achieve.
The form is up to you – written, mind map, vision board. “It allows me to look deeply into my writing life, what I really want, where I’ve been spinning my wheels,” Moore says. “I can also ask what support I have or need, what skills are next up for my toolbox.” Moore’s presumes focus on qualities – what she can achieve on her own, without relying on outside decision-makers.
“Goals work for me when they are (1) aligned with my core values and (2) steps to reach them are under my control,” she writes. “I don’t wish for anything, I have to decide if I want to make it happen myself.”
