Set the Right Goals

For today's World Mental Health Day, we would like to say something about goals. As you probably know, it's important to set goals. You've probably also heard that they should be achievable and measurable. However, one factor is often forgotten that can have a strong impact on our mental health in the long term.

We tend to overlook the fact that certain things are just out of our control. If we set ourselves goals that are dependent on such factors, things can only go wrong sooner or later. That's why it's important to define success for yourself in such a way that it doesn't depend on third parties.

An example. We keep hearing stories of successful musicians who had to work hard for ten years before they landed a worldwide hit “overnight”. It's easy to be misled into thinking that all you have to do is work hard for ten years until success comes. So you work around the clock, give it your all and after ten years you're burnt out and only have a few thousand streams on Spotify. You're devastated and the depression hits hard.

Many people never recover from such a blow. Because what is not reported in the media: For every Ed Sheeran, there are thousands and thousands who are just as talented or even more so - and still “fail”. Nothing against Ed, we don't begrudge him his achievements.

That's why it's important that you set yourself goals that you have control over. Question the achievability and measurability. Instead of “I want a top ten hit in the global streaming charts” (measurable, and somehow achievable) - how about “I want to make time for music every day, learn more and keep improving”?

This is something you can actually control. It takes the pressure off you, which could backfire like a boomerang later on. And whether your music ends up in the streaming charts or not, you've already won because you've done everything for yourself.