Have YOUR Numbers Increased This Year?

Over the weekend I was on the Instagram account for the Now Hear This Entertainment podcast and was looking at posts from past guests on the show.  Of course, this is the time of year when recording artists are putting up the “wrapped” image generated by Spotify that shows their numbers from the past eleven-ish months (assuming it was calculated beginning January 1st).

In particular, Sarah Kroger, the guest from way back on Episode 68 of NHTE, put up her totals, showing, among other data, 2.4 million streams.

More notable, however, was what she wrote to accompany the post, saying that, “Last year around this time I made some goals for 2019… I wrote: ‘1 million streams on Spotify’.”

Clearly, she more than doubled her goal, but that’s not the point.

What I really love about this is not only did she write down some goals, but what Kroger came up with was measurable AND she followed through on such accountability.

For indie artists it’s one thing to say, “I want to get more bookings next year,” but while writing it down is even better (provided you keep it somewhere visible – and not in such a way that you become numb to it), but, keeping track of this year’s and then next year’s provides a tracking method so you know how you’re really doing.  It will also help when you start getting lazy.  Once you see how far behind last year you are lagging, you’ll get re-energized and realize that you need to step your game back up.

Of course, anyone who talks about goal setting will say that whatever your targets are, they should be realistic.  In other words, if you’re currently performing in bars where you’re background music and are not only competing with crowd noise but sports on TV, setting amphitheaters as a goal for next year isn’t realistic and you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment.

Also, if it’s something you’re already doing, that’s not a new goal.  For example, I always put out a new episode every week of “Now Hear This Entertainment” and am currently at 304 episodes.  So, if I wrote down for 2020 that I want to hit 350 episodes of the show, that’s a waste of time.  I’m already on schedule to do that.

If you’ve gotten yourself interviewed in 2019, don’t just write down “get more interviews” as a 2020 goal.  How many more?  How many did you do this year?  What total would you be happy with over the next twelve months?

Here’s the thing – you must do the work to reach your goals, though.  If you wrote down, “Increase Instagram following to (number),” but then just sat back and hoped you’d magically get more followers without making a direct effort to see an increase, that’s a waste.

Take this all one step farther.  Have an accountability partner who you give a copy of your goals to and will ask how you’re coming along.  It not only will motivate you, but it will prevent you from, “Eh, no one is going to know” and from saying you can’t find where you wrote them down.  If you really wanted to achieve them, you’d know where they were.  Now someone else can say, “I’ve got them.  Now, how are you coming along with” and then read off each one.

We all know how time flies.  Think of a year from now.  Wouldn’t you like to be putting up a post on social media like Sarah Kroger just did?  If there are disappointments with your career right now, wouldn’t you like to have eliminated (or at least minimized) those by this time next year?  Perhaps even set monthly goals to help you get to where you want to be in December of 2020.

Let others be looking at your Instagram post a year from now and be the ones saying, “Darn it.  I wish I was hitting those kinds of heights.”

What type of goal setting have you already been considering for 2020?  Share yours with others in our Facebook group.