I know – realistic is boring. Realistic lacks that exotic appeal, that wild and crazy offer. But setting yourself up for disappointment and ending up in that burning vortex of shame and regret scenario, isn’t appealing either. I’m not likely to photograph a cover for Time Magazine this year. I’m not even likely to have a photograph on the front page of my local newspaper. Partly because I don’t work for either publication. Last year I had photographs published in one international magazine, two US-based publications, and a few images featured in a large gallery show. Every single one of those was a surprise – random opportunities that fell in my lap which I couldn’t have set as a goal because I didn’t know they were possibilities.
Practical goal setting should be flexible enough to accommodate opportunities you couldn’t have imagined and able to adapt and change as your business and your style does. Goals do not need to be small to be realistic. Shoot for the moon, but keep in mind that the idea of building a space shuttle sounds like a lot more fun on January 1st than it will in mid-July.