Comments on: If You Answer to No One, Is That a Good Thing?

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Your GDR came to mind instantly. 🙂 I’ve found it so, well, lucrative to keep close watch on my progress, my slumps, my marketing, etc. You learn so much if you just allow yourself to be your own teacher.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:07:00 +0000

That's why the GDRs (Goals, Dreams, and REsolutions) questions I set up a few years ago have worked well for the group of us who do them.

We are accountable to ourselves and each other every month, every quarter, every half year. We assess at the end of the year what we've done and, most importantly BUILD on it, rather than starting from scratch.

The most important lesson I learned from setting goals is not to get locked in -- life constantly throws me opportunities that far surpass my original goals. I have to be ready to grab them and amend my goals, not use the goals as an excuse not to excel.

Note that I use the opportunities/obstacles to set the bar HIGHER for myself, not to have an excuse not to reach goals that no longer work.

By: Avid Writer

Avid Writer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:26:00 +0000

I am determined to improve my income as a freelance writer each year. For me personally that means I need daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.

1)I need them to keep me from veering off path when I get distracted (which happens very easily).

2)I need to look at them for encouragement to see what I have already accomplished when I feel like I've lost my mind choosing to be a freelance writer, or when I'm dealing with a "challenging" client.

3) I need them to help me "up the ante" so that I never get comfortable and stop challenging myself.

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Okay, in the spirit of accountability and sharing, I’ll share my goals and outcomes. I wanted to add about $10K to my annual total. I didn’t do that – at the moment, I’m looking at $15K I’ve added. How I did it – I marketed when I was busy; I secured a regular client with lots of work paying on time every time; I reached out to old clients who paid well; I tapped into new sources for work; I kept working on gaining more clients and better paying work. Frankly, I’m the most shocked by my success this year.

Now, your turn. 🙂

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:16:00 +0000

You did indeed, Leigh. :))

By: Leigh

Leigh — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:32:00 +0000

Okay, I'll jump in. In January, I had no freelancing goals because I was working full-time. When I quit my miserable, life-sucking job in June, my only goal was to make enough to match my full-time income, plus the amount of my monthly benefit premiums. I did NOT do that in July or August. In September, I doubled it, and in October I should triple it based on what I have in the pipeline right now.

Whew, I survived as well.

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Congratulations – you’ve commented first and you lived to tell. :))

Thanks for starting us off. Anyone else want to jump in?

By: writtenexpressions

writtenexpressions — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:34:00 +0000

Ha ha. I actually felt a little guilty when I read this! I remember reading your Mid-Year Report Card post and being intimidated about being the first to comment, so I didn't.

I still consider myself a newbie to the world of freelancing, so my goals are a little, uh, nonspecific. Last year, I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it. This year, I just wanted to do better than last year, reinforce a few of the client relationships I forged last year, and add a few new ones. So I guess, both years, I've met my goals.

Next year, I'll try for some more definitive goals--but I still don't want to be the first one to comment about them when the time comes!