I’m sure you’ve heard it many times before that those who own most of the wealth in the world make up a very small percentage of the world. Of those successful people, they all have one common denominator: setting goals. Musicians often set out to be famous and forget about the business side of music. If you don’t treat any career like a business, you will surely slow yourself down. Here are some pointers to establishing goals for your music career.

Decide on Your Dream Goal
What is your dream goal? Is it to be a rock star, a touring Muscian, a studio musician? What is it?! If you don’t know, decide now. Dream big! A lot of musicians walk around talking about “making it,” or being a professional musician, but they have no end goal. It is very important to see your goal in your mind, feel it, and accept it as a possibility that you can work towards….which brings me to my next point.

Create Sub Goals
You need smaller, more attainable goals to build up to your lofty dream goal. Decide what things will get your to your dream goal. For example, if you want to be a touring musician, then you may need to move to a town like Nashville; you would need money to move to Nashville; you also need a way to make and save money. There are many things you would need to prepare to be a touring musician such as: collect equipment, hone your skills, build your connections, increase your experience, etc. Each one breaks down into even smaller sub goals. How does one eat an elephant? …one bite at a time. It is imperative to have mini goals set out as well.

Make a Specific Timeline
It’s not good enough to simply make goals. You need to be time specific. Set exact dates. You can always go back and alter them, but if you don’t set dates you will wander around talking about how you are going to eventually do this and that, with no real timeline. Set Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and annual goals down to a specific date. This will give you a sense of urgency, as you approach your deadlines. Goals with dates will push you to achieve your dreams faster.

It’s great to be a dreamer, but it’s foolish to be a dreamer without a plan or vision. Decide what your dream goal is, write it down, then set goals and mini-goals with specific dates on a timeline. This will take a lot of time and thought, but it will be the most important move you make in your life. Make time for it! Good luck reaching your musical goals and dreams!