Do you have music goals? If so, great! If not, it’s time to set some, because to be completely honest with you… it is very unlikely you will achieve the success you’re after, if you’re unsure of what you’re working towards.
An article published by CNBC states that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down on a daily basis.
That could be the difference between achieving them, and not.
It’s not rocket science as to why, either. If you know what you want and set goals to achieve it, you will be able to work directly towards it, and that is exactly what this workshop is going to help you with.
So let’s get straight into it.
Step 1: Write down your goals.
Write down your biggest goal that you want to achieve with your music. This could be playing at your favorite venue, collaborating with your favorite artist, or even a much bigger dream, such as being the number one selling artist of all time!!
Whatever it is, write it down, and please, dream big!
Next, you will be writing down shorter length goals that will help you achieve your dream. These goals will be a short-term, medium-term, and long-term goal.
Some estimates could be achieving your short-term goal in a year, your medium goal in three years, and your long-term goal in 5 years, after which, you will be working towards your dream!
Those are estimates, and completely depend on what you’re wanting to achieve.
For example:
My dream is to sell 100 million records.
My long-term goal is to get signed to a major label.
My medium-term goal is to release 2 singles, an EP, and an album.
My short-term goal is to grow my social following to 10,000 followers.
Each goal is a stepping stone to the next.
Step 2: Write down when you can realistically achieve your goals. Be honest.
Now that you have clearly written down what your goals are, the next step is to write down when you can realistically expect to achieve them
It is critical (and we cannot stress enough), how important it is to be honest in this assessment of when you can reach them by.
While we would love to say we can achieve our short-term goal in a day, if we set that as our goal, and do not achieve it, the disappointment of not achieving it, may lead us to give up on the rest of our goals.
On the flip side, if you give yourself too much time to achieve it, you may get lazy, distracted or become unmotivated.
It is best to try to pick a date that is realistic, but at the same time demanding. This will encourage yourself to work hard towards it each and everyday.
Moreover, achieving the first goal is critical as it will be what helps you feel accomplished, and motivated to continue to work towards your medium-term goal, and then long-term goal, and then your dream.
For example:
Short-term goal: I can realistically expect to reach 10,000 followers in one year from today.
Medium-term goal: I can realistically release 2 singles and an EP this year, and the album in 2 years.
Long-term goal: I can realistically expect to sign with a major label in 5 years.
Dream: I can realistically expect to sell 100 million records within 20 years of being signed.
These numbers might seem further out then you want, but success does not happen overnight, and what is the rush? As long as you’re progressing towards it at a reasonable rate, enjoy the journey!
Step 3: Write down how will you achieve each goal.
Now that you know what your goals are, and when you want to achieve them, you now need to write down how you will achieve them.
This will be the most time-consuming part, but also the most important part, as it will provide you a guideline of what to do each day to progress towards your goals.
For example, it is great to say, I will achieve 10,000 followers in one year, but without a plan, that goal can quickly fade away.
So take some time to plan out how you will achieve that. A suggestion would be to even set mini goals for your goals.
As an example, instead of focusing on 10,000 followers, (which can seem daunting), try focusing on gaining about 834 followers a month (which is still 10,000 in a year).
Next, write down how you will do that. This could include writing down, “each week, I will appear on a podcast and have a blog feature written about me.” There is no shortage of podcasts and blogs that write about artists, we do it too!
Now you have something that will help you get the following, but it is CRUCIAL to plan out EVERYTHING, and so saying you will do a podcast a week, and get a blog feature a week is great, but again, without a plan, it can quickly fade away. And so... next write down how you will do that. This could include reaching out to 10 blogs & podcasts a week (using our template, to increase results). This way you will actually secure features / guest appearances.
Obviously that is just an example, but we hope it helped you realize that when you plan everything out, you have a clear blueprint of what to do each and every day.
It may seem tedious, but you can look yourself in the mirror each night before bed knowing you are one step closer to achieving your dream.
Your Turn
Now it is your chance to implement the above tactics and work towards your music dream. After you write down your goals, when you want to achieve them, and how you plan to achieve them, send them to us. We would not only love to hear them, but may also have opportunities to help you achieve them quicker.
Also, if you have any questions throughout it, please contact us! Remember, this is a workshop. We’re here to help you succeed.