Welcome to Episode 2 of THANKS FOR THINKING, the music business podcast focusing on self-reflection and proactivity for thoughtful music production professionals. I’m your host, Carl Bahner.
Today’s topic: Abandoned Resolutions
It’s the first week of January - the time of year when people feel fired-up and re-energized, ready to take on the new year with the tenacity and determination of the Avengers searching for Infinity Stones. But what causes 80% of people to abandon these goals just after a few weeks?
Why do the vast majority of people give up on their resolutions, as if their goals were “snapped” out of existence? Well, because when most people say they’re “setting goals,” in reality, they’re just making a wish list.
Many of the most common New Year's resolutions are outcome-focused goals like “lose 20 pounds” or “earn a full-time income as a music producer.” The focus is on the result, without any actual strategy in place to achieve that result.
An input-focused goal, on the other hand, is one that changes actions and creates habits that will lead you to (and often beyond) your desired result. So rather than “earn a full-time income as a music producer,” a more effective input goal would be “reach out to three new potential clients each day.”
So let’s take some time to think about our own resolutions - and why we gave up on some of them.
Today’s reflection question is: What are some past New Years’ resolutions that I abandoned, and why?
Find a comfortable spot without distractions. I’d like you to spend the next few minutes thinking about some of the bigger goals you’ve set in the past - which ones you’ve achieved and which ones you’ve abandoned. Don’t worry about setting a timer - when the music stops, we’ll move on to today’s action item.
So once again, today’s reflection question is: What are some past New Year’s resolutions I abandoned, and why?
I’ll be back in a few minutes.
If you need more time, hit pause and come back when you’re ready.
It’s probably a safe assumption that if you’re listening to this podcast, you’re familiar with SMART goals - goals that are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT, and TIME-BOUND. Input goals are “all of the above.” Outcome goals? Well, they may be specific or relevant, but rarely measurable or time-bound.
Compare these two resolutions:
Resolution #1: “This year, I’m going to win my first Grammy.”
Is it specific? Yeah. Is it measurable? I mean, the RESULT is measurable - in the sense that you either win or you don’t - but the process itself is not measurable at all.
Achievable? Well, that’s the tricky one, because there are so many variables that go into this, and most of which you can’t control.
Relevant? Yes. Time-bound? Not really. Just saying that you’re going to do it “this year” doesn’t really count as being time-bound.
Now compare that to Resolution #2: “Each day I will introduce myself to one voting member of the Recording Academy and find ways I can add value to the community.”
Specific? Yep.
Measurable? Yep.
Achievable? Yep.
Relevant? Yep.
And time-bound? Yep.
Sure, input-focused goals are not nearly as sexy as a wish list of results, right? Resolution #1 will probably get many more likes and encouraging fire emoji, but Resolution #2 will actually bring you closer to a deeper understanding of the ins, the outs, the realities of what it will really take to get there. I choose a deeper understanding over fire emoji any day of the week.
Now, let’s take what we’ve discovered about ourselves and apply it.
Today’s action item is: write down two results that you want to achieve this year - one for your personal life and one for your career - then create a SMART input goal for each.
If you’re not sure where to begin, start with your desired results, and work backward until you find the most impactful actions you can take. Turn those actions into your input goal. Now, remember, the goal should be SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT, and TIME-BOUND.
Alright, time to get started. I’ll be back in a few minutes.
If you need more time, hit pause and come back when you’re ready.
Whatever your goals may be, accountability will be essential for staying on track. Sometimes it’s easy to hold yourself accountable, and other times it’s helpful to have a friend or peer to be an “accountability buddy.”
Sometimes, peer pressure can be a good thing.
If you’d like to connect with other like-minded music production professionals, the link to our Discord Community is in the show notes. Come join in our weekly discussions (more info about that on Friday) or find an accountability buddy of your own. I’m looking forward to connecting with you in the community and watching you tackle your goals head-on.
I hope you learned something about yourself today. Maybe it was something small, or maybe it was a significant revelation. As far as I’m concerned, any growth in your self-awareness enhances both your business and your life.
If you found this episode helpful, please like, subscribe, and share this with someone you feel would benefit from exercises like these. You can join our Discord Community using the link in the show notes, connect with me on social media at @carlbahner and @thanksforthinkingpodcast, or you can reach out directly to info@carlbahner.com
Until next time - Thanks for thinking.