GOAL SETTING

Let's talk about GOAL SETTING.

(this is a thing I learned from Gersvinda, absolutely alllllll credit goes to her for this one!)

First, some definitions:

HOBBY

Okay, so, by definition, something done that is not directly related to your livelihood, that is supposed to bring you relaxation and joy.

If I say "the SCA is my hobby", then it is something I do in my free time, that is fun.

(yes, there are CERTAINLY parts of the SCA that we do not do "for fun", but they are usually so that the whole community can have fun, and that isn't the point of this particular writing, so please save that argument for another time. File under "helping my community is a good thing to do" or "responsibility is a trait of a good citizen" or whatever).

Now, there are LONG TERM goals, which may make us VERY HAPPY when we achieve them, but involve a lot of drudgery on the way there. This is also not a conversation about those, directly, right now. We CAN talk about incremental skill-building, and long term healthy-goal formation, and positive habit building, but, perhaps later in the conversation.

What I want to discuss RIGHT NOW is setting short term goals.

Here are the parameters of these goals:

1. Must be less than 1 year in duration (a camping season is great, a single event is even better)

2. Must be ACHIEVABLE. By you. In the free time you have. With the resources you HAVE. This means no "I'm going to find a forge, and make 200 knives in the next month". Not going to happen. YOU know your work schedule, family obligations, etc. Make your goals something you CAN DO! For example: "I'm going to visit my friend the next town over who has a forge and who invited me to come over, and I'm going to make myself a cloak pin".

3. Must be concrete and quantifiable. You have to be able to TELL when the goal has been achieved. So no "I wanna be better at sewing". Instead, try something like "My goal is to sew three tunics before 12th night".

4. Must be something that will make you happy (or move you toward a long term goal, but concentrate on the other one right now). Do you love excellent food? How about having a goal of eating THREE totally medieval meals this summer? Do you deeply want to be a better rapier fighter? How about a goal of attending ten practices before winter starts?

This is where we get into that long-term goal part, see.

BUT! Here is the rule. Those "long term" things? Cannot be more than 20% of your goals. 80% need to be something that will make you happy NOW.

So, let's talk about "valid" goals. Everybody gets all wound up about "my goals must be so loooofty and GRAND and everyone will JUDGE me if my goal is pedestrian!"

PPPPPFT.

GO.READ.THE.DEFINITION.

The plan here is to HAVE FUN. YOU need to define what FUN is for you, and then YOU need to take ACTIONS that make you happy. 

Here are some example goals that I have at the moment (these are for this upcoming weekend):

1. Sing loudly, for at least two hours, with people I like 

2. Sit in the creek 

3. Talk to my best friend

4. Sit on the grass and enjoy the warm sun on my face

5. Bite some DELICIOUS food

6. Go shopping (maybe not buy anything)


Are ANY of these grand? Are ANY of these lofty? No? Right. 

See all of THESE things make ME really happy. So, I am going to go and do them (hopefully).  

These are my goals for this season (well, most of them, there are a few seeeeeekrit ones).

7. DANCING!!!! YAAAASSSS!!! 

8. Snuggle at least two babies that I haven't yet gotten to snuggle

9. Finish my brown tunic (hah! not specific!)

10. Be helpful to TAH (shocking, I might even do some retinue! my!)

11. Be a waterbearer for at least an afternoon

12. Get TWO more articles written up for the website

13. Finish my promised-sewing (sigh)


For the rest of the year

14. Figure out the awful new program, edit the two old videos, and get them online

15. Come up with at least one new recipe

16. Make some new toys for the babies

17. Dat brewing tho


Here are my "streatch goals", stuff I REALLY want to happen but don't think I'll have time for

18. THE LOOOOOOM!

19. NEW videos!!!

20. Casting a new brooch


So, how does this WORK, in, like, practice?

Gersvinda and I discuss goals on the way to events. We set some "event level" goals that we think we can easily achieve, and also explore the possibilities of THIS event being able to check off some of the bigger things we want to happen in the near term. We figure out actions we can take to achieve our goals. 

On the way home, we talk about what went well, what we'd like to change, what was out of our control, and if we need to adapt our goals for the future.


So, what does THAT^ have to do with Peerage?

A bunch of VERY important things.

A. Tiny, incremental progress is how you get to the top of a big mountain :) Setting achievable, quantifiable goals that take you in the direction you want to BE is the absolute best way to get there.

B. Remember that PLQs thing? THIS is how a mature, responsible, capable adult interacts with a HOBBY. They prioritize their livelihood, family, career, etc., identify how much time/energy/money they have to invest in their hobby, and allocate those resources to fulfil their goals. You know what? I have BIG HUGE GOALS that I would like to someday achieve. But right now I don't have the time or the money or the resources to do them. Some of those things are big services to my community. I can't commit to that right now, because I won't be able to do it WELL, if at all. So, instead, my goal is to sit in the creek, sing a few songs, and then go back home to work more. 

C. If you only pour OUT of your mental/emotional cup, you will BURN OUT and go away and not come back. Peers have to balance tons of responsibilities both in and out of the SCA. They have to learn to schedule, and be self aware, and still FIND JOY. Because this IS a hobby. And if there is no joy, then people don't keep doing it, long term. Instead they go find something ELSE to invest their energy in. So figuring out how to balance your responsibilities and your ability to relax and have fun is an absolutely essential skill for a Peer.

D. Setting reasonable goals, and doing them, is HOW YOU GET THERE, and STAY there, as far as "Peerage Level". 






late Middle English hobyn, hoby, from nicknames for the given name Robin. Originally sense 2 (compare with dobbin), it later came to denote a toy horse or hobbyhorse, hence ‘a pastime, something done for pleasure.’

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobby)