I Got Really Messed Up About Goals
New Year, New... Impossibilities?
Dear Creators,
Hey! How are you doing? I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you, and I wanted to check in with you first and foremost.
What cool project(s) have you been working on lately (and/or avoiding)? What’s been encouraging you? What’s been getting in your way?
The beginning of a new year (yes, I know it’s February) invites a sense of grander thinking about ourselves, our lives, and all of the exciting potential ahead. Or at least, it usually does.
This year, when I sat down to set my creative, personal, and professional goals for 2025, I found myself feeling oddly… hopeless. Even despairing.
“Why bother?” my brain seemed to be asking itself. “You couldn’t even complete your goals for 2024. Or 2023. Or 2022, for that matter…”
And on it went, swirling down into a spiral of shame and self-loathing.
In this admittedly not-super-fantastic mental state, I found myself growing angry at myself — bitter, and even cynical — eventually arriving at a state of anger at the concept of a goal itself.
“Why do we do this to ourselves?” I grumbled. “Why do we set ourselves up for misery and failure?”
It was then that I realized — despite everything I know and have learned over the years, I might be doing goals wrong.
So I did what any reasonable person would do, and recorded a 47-minute podcast episode about it:
(You can also download or stream the episode from my website, or find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts.)
I won’t spoil the episode, but it helped to talk through how I was setting goals, and why — and how I ended up feeling so darn negative about them. Hopefully, it will help you, too.
And honestly, I’m still not even sure I got it right. My friend Jordan texted me after listening with some really great insights about the nature of goals, which I might talk about in a follow-up episode.
In any case, give it a listen, and let me know your own insights — your thoughts, feelings, whatever it is that crops up for you about your own goals and project(s) for the upcoming year. I’m curious to hear what you think.
I’m also grateful you’re here, reading this newsletter. I look forward to working through 2025 with you, and I’m sending you good health and encouragement for the days ahead.
Words & warmth,
Sarah
P.S. OH MY GOSH, I almost forgot — The Write Now podcast turned TEN (10) YEARS OLD in January! 🤯🎉 Somehow, I’ve been doing this for a decade?! I don’t really recommend you do this, but if you’re curious and want to take a peek at my very first episode from 2015… here’s the link. However, be warned: I had no idea what I was doing, and the audio levels are all over the place.
Seriously, though, if you’ve been listening for the last 10 years… thank you. Wow.
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Goals are tricky. My brain always seems to be looking for red ink to splash on my imaginary permanent record.
Lately, I'm finding that "intentions" serve me better than firm "goals" in terms of my creative aspirations.
You can fall short of a goal. Intentions are more of a living document.
My intentions evolve. They become more specific. They mutate, while still holding onto something of their original character.
In terms of starting a year, I feel like intentions are friends. Goals can feel adversarial.
That said, I still actually articulate my intentions so that they aren't totally abstract/nebulous. And I try to keep it to three or fewer.
(I reserve writing "goals" for when I find myself contractually tied to a project/deadline.)
As for this year, last week I finished editing my fantasy novel (contractual obligation).
I'm writing a short book about dandelions (contractual obligation).
I plan to make a dozen new episodes of my odd little podcast (intention).
I'd like to finish my current poetry collection (intention).
And I hope to pitch a new novel to my agent/publisher sometime this summer (intention).
Hi Sarah,
I always love hearing you talk about goals and goal setting and all the frustrations that come with it. I have a goal setting system that I’ve been using consistently for a few years that focuses on weekly habits that will lead to my long term goals - process rather than outcome. It involves setting a measurable goal, identifying why it’s important (what benefit it will have for me in doing it), how I plan to do it, and a tracker for how well I did each week that is easy to see overall consistency at a glance. Happy to share more of you’re interested.