Guest Blog: "How to Set Goals + Achieve Them in the New Year" by Jon Pattie

Texas native Jon Pattie really knows how to tug on the heartstrings of his listeners.

A remarkably talented songwriter and vocalist, Pattie is fresh off the release of the first installment in his Reflections series: Reflections, Vol. I. Comprising four parts, the series as a whole will explore different facets of his personality while taking listeners on a journey through an evolving story about who Jon Pattie is and the search for the man he wants to be.

Today Jon shares a relatable guest blog that he penned at the start of the year about accomplishing new goals in the new year in a realistic and totally achievable way. Check out his thoughts below.

"How to Set Goals + Achieve Them in the New Year"

By Jon Pattie

One month down, 11 more to go. I’ve been busy at work since the year started, planning, scheduling, studying, implementing, all of the ‘-ings’, but the biggest one is doing.

The biggest lesson I learned in 2018, besides the power of positive habits, is the power of action. When we make plans, when we make goals, or when we want something, eventually it’s going to require you to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Or fingers numb. Or brain buzzing.

After all of the schooling, book-learning, and blog-reading, at the end of the day it’s our actions that define our outcomes, and therefore, who we are and what we accomplish.

Like many people, I suffer from anxiety often when setting plans for myself and prioritizing what needs to get done. It can be nerve-wracking to think far ahead about the future and what your plans are! Thinking ahead is something a lot of people struggle to do at all. But practicing foresight and developing goals for yourself personally and professionally is one of the best ways to keep yourself growing and learning in life.

Back to my New Years’ Resolutions, one goal I’ve set for myself this year is to read and learn about some of the artists I look up to and enjoy in today’s industry. January and February are all about Sam Smith but I’m also going to be looking into Chance The Rapper, Aleesia Cara, Tom Misch, and others. (Just a side tip, learning how some of today’s most successful people in your field achieved what they were able to achieve is a great way to get motivated, focused, and knowledgeable about your craft!)

The actionable goal I made is to do 2 hours of research per week into whoever I’m looking into at the time. Not too much, not too little, right? That’s the point.

When we start crafting these larger goals and ambitions at the beginning of each year like losing a bunch of weight or drastically change the way you eat or to get more in tune with yourself, these are all great goals but where Is the action?

Creating daily doable steps is the key to success when following through on New Years’ Resolutions, your career goals and ambitions, and really to achieve growth in any area of your life.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much work you put in, the bigger point is to get started. Whether it be small steps or big ones, moving forward requires action.

Listen to Reflections, Vol. I now on digital music platforms.