Do you set personal goals for yourself?

Ah, goals.

Those things we’re apparently supposed to set ourselves so we can become more productive, more successful, and generally a better version of ourselves.

You know the sort of thing.

Attend a motivational seminar, buy a rather expensive notebook, write down your five-year plan, and spend the next twelve months feeling guilty because life got in the way.

Yeah… I’ve never really gone in for all that.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire people who set themselves goals and work hard to achieve them. If that’s your thing, crack on. Good for you.

It’s just never really been my cup of tea.

I’ve never been particularly interested in turning my life into a spreadsheet, complete with targets, deadlines, and little boxes to tick.

I’m a poet, a photographer, and a professional rambler. I spend a good deal of my time scribbling words, taking photographs, and generally following whatever creative rabbit hole happens to catch my attention.

And honestly?

I quite like it that way.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to grow.

Of course I do.

I’d love to see my poetry reach more people. I’d love for my photography to find its way in front of a few more pairs of eyes. I’d love for the things I create to connect with somebody, somewhere, who might need them.

Who wouldn’t?

There’s something rather lovely about putting a little piece of yourself out into the world and discovering that somebody, somewhere, has connected with it.

Especially when that little piece of yourself started life as a few scribbles in your head.

But I’ve never felt the need to turn that desire into some grand, all-singing, all-dancing personal development programme.

No five-year plan.

No motivational posters telling me I can achieve anything if I just believe hard enough.

And absolutely no standing in front of a mirror at six in the morning, telling myself I’m going to conquer the world.

The neighbours would probably worry.

Besides, I’ve come to realise that life doesn’t always work according to plan. Sometimes things go brilliantly, sometimes they go spectacularly pear-shaped, and sometimes you spend an afternoon wondering what on earth you went into the kitchen for.

That’s life.

So, do I have a goal?

Well, I suppose I do.

Although calling it a goal might be stretching the definition somewhat.

At the end of every month, I have a little look at the number of interactions my creative work has received.

That’s it.

Nothing complicated.

My goal, if you can call it that, is simply to do as well as I did the previous month.

Not necessarily better.

Just the same would do nicely.

If the numbers go up, which they usually do, then that’s a lovely little bonus.

If they don’t?

I’m not going to beat myself up because a particular post didn’t reach as many people as the one before it.

Nor am I going to decide that my work has somehow become less valuable because an algorithm has had a funny five minutes.

After all, numbers can tell you how many people interacted with something.

They can’t always tell you what it meant to them.

And that’s an important distinction.

Because somewhere out there, somebody might read a poem of mine and feel a little less alone.

Somebody might look at a photograph and see something beautiful in an otherwise ordinary day.

Somebody might read one of these ramblings, have a little chuckle, or find a thought that stays with them long after they’ve closed the page.

I’ll probably never know about most of those moments.

And that’s okay.

I don’t need to.

If something I’ve created makes a difference to even one person, then there’s value in that which no monthly statistic can properly measure.

Perhaps that’s the thing about creativity.

You can spend hours worrying about reach, engagement, followers, likes, shares, and all the other things the internet has taught us we’re supposed to care about.

Or you can get on with creating things because you enjoy doing it, because you have something to say, or because sometimes putting words on a page is simply how you make sense of the world.

Personally, I’ll take the second option.

I’ll keep writing.

I’ll keep taking photographs.

I’ll keep sharing whatever happens to fall out of my head and onto the page.

And if more people find their way here along the way, then that’s wonderful.

But I’m not going to spend my life chasing a number.

Life’s a journey, after all.

And I’d rather enjoy the scenery than spend the entire trip staring at the satnav, worrying whether I’m getting there quickly enough.

Which brings me to something I really do want to say.

To those of you on the other side of this screen…

Thank you. Genuinely.

Whether you’ve been reading my scribbles for years or you’ve only stumbled across one of my ramblings today, I’m grateful you’re here.

Every comment, every like, every share, every message, and every moment you’ve taken out of your day to read something I’ve written means more than you probably realise.

I know the internet is a busy place. There’s an almost endless supply of things demanding our attention, and yet you’ve chosen to spend a little of your time here.

With me.

And that genuinely touches me.

I started writing because I had things I needed to get out of my head. Over the years, those scribbles have grown into something much bigger than I ever expected.

And the fact that other people have found something in them?

Well, that’s a rather lovely bonus, isn’t it?

So, no, I don’t have a grand plan for world domination.

I’m not aiming to become the next big thing.

I’m not sitting here plotting how to turn every waking moment into an opportunity for personal growth.

I’m just Bob.

An old soul with a head full of thoughts, a camera, a keyboard, and an apparently endless supply of things to ramble about.

I’ll keep doing what I do.

Creating, and keep putting my work out into the world.

And at the end of each month, I’ll have a little look at those numbers and see how things are going.

If they’re up, I’ll do an extra happy dance.

If they’re the same, I’ll be very happy.

And if they’re down?

Well, there’s always next month.

Because perhaps the point isn’t to keep setting bigger and bigger goals until we’re so busy chasing the next achievement that we forget to appreciate what we’ve already got.

Perhaps it’s about enjoying what we’re doing, appreciating the people who come along for the ride, and being grateful that we get to do it in the first place.

At least, that’s how I see it.

And once again, to everyone who reads, shares, comments, or simply stops by for a little while…

Thank you.

You’re appreciated more than you know.

Stay safe,

Bc