Time for Goals/Resolutions

As 2019 comes to an end, many people are looking to 2020 and what it has in store for them. I'm also one of those people.

Every year, I create goals for myself in my hobbies, work, and just life overall. Of course, this blog is dedicated to my hobbies/art so that's what we'll focus on.

Of course, when one makes a goal it's important to keep certain key things in mind to help you achieve said goals. First, make sure your goals are time specific/have a deadline. Most goals/new year resolutions are goals meant to take a year's time. Next, be specific. Generic goals like "I will make art" are all well and good, but if you don't specify WHAT you will do, you are more than likely going to give up on the goal, forget it, or not feel like you accomplished EXACTLY what you wanted. Finally, and most importantly, make sure your goals/resolutions are ACHIEVABLE. We'll use the typical resolution of "I will lose weight".

In this example, we will start with the resolution/goal "I will lose weight". The reason that this goal is typically not achieved is because it's vague, it's not personal to the person. Many New Year's resolutions/goals are like this, not just this one. Using what I stated above, let's make this more achievable: We already have a deadline of one year, so now let's get more specific with this goal as well as making it achievable "I will lose 20 lbs." Now the goal has a specific number and, based on science, is more than achievable (recommended healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs/week & with roughly 52 weeks in a year a total of approximately 104 lbs can be lost/year). Now, not only is this goal achievable, but there is a strong likelihood that the goal will be surpassed.

Not convinced? Let's look at a another commonly broken resolution goal "I will travel to new places". While not necessarily a hard goal, the problem is in its generic wording. A new place can be, literally, ANYWHERE. Let's look at several variations of this goal (remember to add "by year's end" to the goals):

I will travel to 5 new states.
I will travel to a European country (get more specific and NAME that European country)
I will visit ten new towns.
I will visit three new parks.
I will visit two new shopping malls.

Even these above goals are still semi-generic, but can you start to see why it pays to be specific in your goals?

So with that, let's look at my own goals for 2020. As well as some insight into WHY these goals are achievable for ME.

2020 Goals
-Paint 50 model horses
I painted 42 models last year, so this is in an achievable realm while pushing myself to be a bit more on task.

-Participate in Inktober using the Inktober prompts
I already participated in Inktober this year using my own theme, and I do have two ink wells yet.

-Create/cast 12 medallion/magnet molds
One small, flat clay work a month.

-Paint 1 Oil Painting
I just bought some oil paints to try, I enjoy watching Bob Ross tutorials, no excuse here why I can't do one.

-Paint 1 LARGE canvas (biggest I can find/afford)
So please note how specific I got with this specific goal. While I do have a fairly large canvas residing in my studio that needs paint, I actually want to go bigger. However, if I can't find/afford a bigger canvas, I have this back up. Like many of these, there is no reason I can't complete this goal.

Are you the type of person that likes to set goals for yourself? Are you looking to try making some resolutions this year? Please share (if you're comfortable doing so), and I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Till the next time!