The other day I was walking around the farm making a list of the things I had to get done and it struck me just how many goals we've reached since we moved here 10 years ago. It also occurred to me how many things in my life are extra or complicated or ridiculous or pointless and aren't part of the goals I made. Or are working against the goals I have made. Or are way more work than it's worth to reach a goal I never actually made. Let me explain. It’s important to know what your goal is so you know if the things you’re doing are actually helping you reach that goal. There is a point where you’re doing more work than you need to for the payoff you’re getting. For instance, sometimes working four extra hours on a project that you really need a break from doesn't net you four hours worth of extra accomplishment. Cramming for two extra hours for a test doesn't necessarily mean you're going to remember more. And we've all heard the argument that there is a point where working overtime isn't really worth it because of taxes. There are things to consider in my own situation, like: does putting out way more content bring way more people to my website/podcast/Youtube? Not necessarily. Is putting out hoards of content way more work for me? Yes, yes it is. Is being on every single social media that exists going to grow my community? Not necessarily. There’s a point where the extra work isn’t getting you anything extra, and that point is different for every person, every genre, every job. There is a point where the work isn't moving you forward, it's just more work. Be honest about your actual goals Doing a podcast because it is a source of income can bring with it a different set of rules and expectations from someone who is podcasting because they like to podcast. And someone who is podcasting because they like to podcast can sometimes find themselves tied into the rules and expectations of someone who podcasts for income and not even realize it. And one day, they take two seconds to think and realize, "Wait a second, what is my goal here? Why am I doing this? Something doesn't line up." Sometimes the goal we set for our self isn't the goal we actually wanted. Or sometimes the goal is right, but the approach is wrong. In either situation, we have to be willing to be honest with ourselves and get off that hamster wheel of what's comfortable and reassess what we actually want and what will really get us there. I want to branch out and try new things! I want to be spontaneous! I want to do one thing everyday that scares me! But you absolutely hate doing one thing everyday that scares you, to the point that you are horrible to be around, and people are wondering why are you doing this? You either need to suck it up, buttercup about reaching that goal, or you need to accept that the goal that looks really good as a quote painted on your wall isn't really your goal. How many of us have said I just want to be happy and less stressed, and then we willingly add things to our lives that make us unhappy and more stressed? And then we won't give them up, but we say our goal is to be happy and less stressed? How many of us have said I just want to have a simple, uncomplicated life... and then realize that's what we have, that's what we've created for ourselves, but we feel guilty that we're not doing more? How many homesteaders have wanted to have a little garden and a few chickens for eggs, and then suddenly they've got ten goats and eight rabbits and a garden twice the size of their house? They got on the hamster wheel and forgot what their goal was.