It’s been a year and some change since I began publishing on this site and I’ve recently been reflecting on the initial challenges I’d set for myself. One of these was to publish 100 posts in a year, which was a sincere objective at the time. It’s also one which I haven’t met. Does that constitute a failure?
This brings up an important point: there is a notable difference between goals and objectives.
Goals are long-term purposes one strives to achieve. A goal is the “end result”, and goals should be considered in long-term time frames. Goals are strategic and abstract.
Objectives are achievements along a path to achieving an overarching goal. They are the “means to an end” (the ’end’ being the goal), and should be considered in short-to-medium time frames. Objectives are tactical and concrete.
My point is that, while the objective of posting here with a certain cadence was not achieved, the associated goal of the site was not in alignment with that and/or has evolved over time, so I would not consider this a failure. It’s just a part of the ebb and flow of personal goals (in this case, an ebb).
It is natural and expected that one’s personal goals will shift over time as we develop in life, and one’s objectives, however sincere at the time, should change in accordance with one’s current goals.
We see this all the time with New Year resolutions. Many of us set objectives for ourselves each January 1st without aligning our true goals, and so we do not keep to them. To stay accountable and motivated to attain our objectives, we have to ensure that they remain as stepping stones on the path to reaching our overarching goals. Only then can we keep the resolve to achieve them.
So, I won’t be publishing here just for the sake of meeting some imaginary deadline.
While my writing cadence may shift from time to time, my goal of providing something of interest or value with each post remains.
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