Daily Dose of Sultnpapper 08/24/18> Just what are your goals here? Do you even have any…
Approaching one year here...
As I get closer to my one year anniversary of coming on to this platform I have been looking back and looking forward. I’m not real sure that I knew what to expect when I came here, actually let me say that a different way, I knew damn good and well I didn’t know what to expect. The fact that I didn’t know was actually the second best part of coming here, the best part was I could post what I wanted to post without having to worry about what people might think or say about it.
Failure rate 95%...
I read an article that was posted on steemit.com by a person back two years ago that was talking about why 95% of all the steemit blogs are destined to fail. Lack of goals was the number one reason the author of that post mentioned. I can tell you the post got 93 up votes and $1.66 in earnings, not shabby in today’s steemit world, I would take those numbers every day and be happy. But lack of goals isn’t what causes 95% of the blogs here to fail in my opinion.
It really is the opposite...
I would, and have in the past, say that it is just the opposite of what that author was saying. Goals actually are a primary cause of failure. In the truest sense of the word a goal is the finish line, just like in American football there is a goal line at each end of the field and when the team with the ball crosses their goal line the play is over and points are awarded. So, if you do reach your goal you are finished; and if you don’t reach your goal you are a failure.
Eliminate from your vocabulary...
That is purely asinine in my book and we should eliminate the word "goal" from our vocabularies and start using some little things like the highway department uses to mark the distances on the highways, mile markers.
Being here is a journey...
Being on here is a journey for most everyone and I think we can pretty much agree on that, so why not treat it like a journey. Don’t use that author’s advice of goal setting; it is the true set up for failure. What I am offering you as a solution and guidance is the real deal and it comes from common sense cowboy logic. Even though I haven’t ridden any fence lines on horseback in over twenty years I did ride a lot of them in my past and had plenty of time to think about things.
New Years resolutions too...
Back at the start of the new year I did a post on why a person should throw away their new year’s resolutions, if they had made some, that would be the best thing they could do and the same applies for this goal setting stuff, it is a trap that causes you to fail and then feel badly about yourself for having done so.
Try a destination...
When I came here I didn’t have any goals and I am proud of that, I did have a destination in mind for this journey though. That destination is day 365, and it is fast approaching, in order to make it to that destination there were 364 other stops that had to be made along the way; as of today there are twenty more stops to go.
Set a goal...No thanks...
I could have and probably would have thrown the towel in on this blogging thing a long time ago if I had set goals. The number one question is; how can a person set a realistic goal when they have little or no knowledge about what it is they are getting involved with? I don’t believe that unless you have been a blogger before on some other site or on your own website you couldn’t even begin to have a reasonable expectation of what to expect. Yet, you need to set a goal about it? No thanks.
I will stick to my journey using the little mile marker system that I go by, and when I get to the marker that is known as marker 365 I may just take a break and look at what my next journey might be.
My intentions...
I came here with the intentions of getting some of my thoughts and ideas recorded on the block chain so that my future grand kids would have a place to actually read some of the things that have ran through my mind and share some of my stories with them. I think they have a pretty good selection to start with if they ever do come along and find the daily dose. So when my journey does hit day 365 it might be the end of this journey or it might just be the start of the second lap around the calendar, time will tell.
More on goals...
Getting back to goals, and I know about goals because I work in sales and we have sales goals thrown at us all the time. From a salesman’s perspective I can tell you that most sales goals are seldom ever determined with the input from the sales people who are out selling whatever it is that is being sold. The sales goals almost always are determined by people in upper management who have either no sales experience or who made their way up through the system from sales and have totally forgotten where it is they have come from.
Fear, failure & rejection...
Failure and fear of failure are the two biggest things that face a salesman next to rejection; rejection leads the pack in things that will ruin a person in sales. A salesperson is seldom taught that the rejection they are experiencing when they get turned down when trying to secure an order is very seldom ever a personal rejection but rather a business rejection.
Self pressure and doubt...
Lack of proper training will have the sales person thinking they did a bad job when they don’t get the order the bosses were counting on when they set those massive sales goals. All it takes is a few times of missing the sales goal and you can pretty much figure that your sales position is in jeopardy and that leads to more self pressure and doubt.
Most of the time being turned down for an order has little to do with the sales person. It may have more to do with timing of when you ask, or the actual product itself. The customer may not have the need for that product at the moment or the product might not meet all the expectations the client needs. Either way the sales person got rejected and takes it as a direct reflection on them.
Market share and winning...
In sales it is best to know what the market is in terms of both dollars and units. The next important thing is to know all the companies that are competing for a share of that market and how they rank percentage wise when it comes to market share. As long as you know those numbers and you are gaining share in the market place and not losing ground to your competitors it would seem that you are winning in my book.
You may never meet that sales goal the bosses set for you and actually still be doing a great job and never even know it if you just focus on sales goal numbers that were conjured up in some executive board room by who knows what means. They just might have a dart board they use in there to come up with the numbers.
Don't let goals...
Don’t let goals be your downfall in life, business, and here on steemit. Just learn about your expectations and use mile markers to guide you on the journey. Expectations don’t have hard and fast dates like goals and can be flexible; so when those rough times happen it isn’t a failure it is just time to look at taking a different route.
About that article...
In case you are wondering about that article I read and that author, it was written before I got here and the author was @steemrocket , it was posted two years ago. I might also mention that when you look at @steemrocket’s blog you will notice that it hasn’t been active in over two years; I guess that @steemrocket bought into the exact stuff they were peddling to others about goals and failed. I think that is known as a self fulfilling prophecy, as of right now the “rocket” has burned out.
Maybe a different outcome...
I wonder if their outcome might have been a little different had they subscribed to my way of approaching things and not setting goals but rather using markers instead and taking the journey.
Where I was headed...
Now I need to go look at @steemitbloggers, which was where I was headed when I stumbled upon this post of @steemrocket from 08/16/16 that prompted this daily dose. I heard there is a chance I might be able to join that fine group and I need to look into it.
Until next time,
@sultnpapper
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I sort of agree with the goals idea. I came here in very early January with the idea that I could network my way into a niche in the platform. I didn't come to make money, I'd been trying that on line for 10 years. I came to write with feedback. I've gotten a lot more.
For better or worse, my introduction post was reposted yesterday. Much to my surprise. https://steemit.com/adsactly/@adsactly/adsactly-on-adsactly-the-community-blogger-s-spotlight-bigtom13
I think business and business people need goals. I don't think they should live and die by them, and they ought to be ready to chuck the whole list in an instant, but it's good to have a plan. If for no other reason to see how far you have deviated from it in reality. :)
I do know that I started looking the day I arrived. I wanted to find the 'good writers' and hang as close to them and learn the ropes. I staggered into a few places, not the least of which was SteemEngine. Good writers writing good stuff and supporting one another.
I love it here. I am the master of my own ship, and can do as I see fit with it.
OK, I have gotten in my F. Scott Big Tom mode, but I do want to say one more thing here. For the block chain as it were.
I, and I'm sure many others, hope your destination isn't. I hope it's just a way point on the larger journey. I mean I hope you don't decide you are done in 20 days, I really want to see you go on. I always want to see what's on the other side of that hill. I hope you do too.
I just read your into post, nice to meet you, I also read one part of the Mississippi series, that is great stuff you wrote there. I will go back and read the other,
I chose destinations over goals simply because goals always seem to be set with dates to be accomplished by and when that date passes if you haven't reached the goal you failed. With destinations if I get sidetracked or fall behind I can always get back on track and continue on without feeling any sense of failure.
Not sure at this point about anything past the destination of 365, I have been focused on getting there first and then I'll see. Thanks.
I learned a long time ago that goals only set you up for failure as life happens and the things you were doing to meet those goals are tossed out the window. Life is a journey and that road is full of twists, turns and bumps. The best thing to do is learn to enjoy the journey. Take in the scenery and engage with folks you meet along the way. I had no idea what to expect from Steemit when I arrived. If I had followed all the different goal oriented, money-oriented advice that had been free-flowing here at one time or another I would have packed my bags and left long ago. I would have been an unhappy camper and would not have had the fun I have enjoyed along the journey. I have met some great friends here that I may not have met if I had followed "the rules". It is a good thing I am a contrary old lady!
I like to use destinations instead of goals , they might be the same thing in reality but the difference is the timing. As long as you are continuing towards that destination you haven't failed. But when goals are set there is or always seems to be a date set to achieve that goal and like you said life can get in the way.
No matter how many delays or twists and turns you encounter a person always get back on track to their destination.
That is why I choose destinations over goals.
Oh yes, if I ever set a "goal" the discipline I'm trying to give myself almost immediately falls apart. I think I'm just not a routine kind of person. I used to set New Year's Resolutions, but I can't be doing with that nonsense these days! Although a couple of years ago I made a New Year's Resolution to make at least one person laugh every day. I kept it up for about three months, and it was a lot of fun! Often I would just post something funny on social media, and if it got a thumbs up, I'd completed my mission for that day. After a few months I forgot about it.
You've done pretty well posting every day though!
I have approached it as one day at a time, nothing more and nothing less. Taking little pieces and stringing them together is easier than trying to bite off more than I can chew.
That laugh a day is a good one too.
Yes the laugh a day was fun. The best New Year's Resolution ever. Who wants to deny themselves their favourite food or do some chore every day? What a negative start to the year. Much better to try spreading joy around :)
I agree.
Ah I love that idea of mile markers! Goals are normally too finite aren’t they - not much wiggle room for change if that change is necessary.. mike markers at least allow you to see how far you’ve come and assess which route to follow next..
Glad you liked that idea, you are more than welcome to give it a try yourself. You won't be disappointed I am sure. Thanks for stopping by and making a nice comment.