The words we speak, even just to ourselves, are as relevant to achieving our goals, as the specific goals themselves. After all, it’s not really about the goals you set, it’s about following through, and doing what it takes to accomplish them!
How many times have you created New Year’s Resolutions, only to find that 12 months later many of them were never fully realized?
While that can be frustrating, it’s important to take a step back and determine why that was the case…
- Was it that you lost interest?
- Was it because the follow-through required more than you were willing to give?
- Did the goal lose its relevance to you?
- Was your timeline unrealistic?
The reality is that life happens, priorities change, and some goals tend to sail down the stream of time. But for those goals that you did achieve, how empowered does that accomplishment make you feel?
Setting SMART Sync Goals
You may have heard the term “SMART Goals” before. SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific: The goal you set should be specific.
- Measurable: The goal should allow you to track your progress.
- Attainable: The goal must be realistic.
- Relevant: A relevant goal relates to your values, dreams, and ambitions.
- Time-bound: There needs to be a target date for completion, such as four months or one year.
While following the SMART acronym allows you to set accomplishable goals, I want to share one very important aspect of this that tends to get overlooked.
It’s easy to say “I want to get 5 sync placements by June.” That checks all the boxes for a SMART goal. But in my experience, if you really want to crush it when it comes to getting placements, there’s slight tweak you can make, that makes all the difference.
For example, by simply changing the wording to something like “I want to connect with 25 music supervisors and music libraries by June, and serve them at the highest level with my songs,” the entire trajectory of your music career can change dramatically.
That initial SMART goal of 5 placements can easily become 25 placements, or more, simply because you changed your focus from what you want to receive from others, to what you can confidently provide to others!
With all the opportunities available today to get your songs placed in TV Shows, Films, Commercials, Video Games, Corporate Promos, and more, remember this:
You land placements because you bring value to the marketplace.
You get paid for bringing value to the marketplace.
Yes, writing and recording high quality music takes time, but you don’t get paid for your time. You get paid for VALUE… the value that you provide
Here’s how this breaks down:
- ‘Real’ Musicians are Action Takers. Accomplishing any goal requires you to do the work, and follow through on your commitments.
- Action Takers are Impact Makers. Great music leaves a lasting impact on others. Great music helps others tell their story. That’s the power of music!
- Impact Makers are Money Makers! Your income is determined by how many people you serve, and how well you serve them! That’s the value of music!
As an independent musician, your songs are helping directors, producers, screen writers, and production companies, tell a story. Your music is integral to putting the viewer in the right from of mind. Your music is integral to how the story is told and how the story is received. That’s why your music has value.
But to receive that value, in monetary form, your SMART goals should focus on the value you are able to provide to others.
“You can have everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar
The next time you sit down to create SMART goals, specifically in regards to licensing your songs for sync placements, I want to challenge you to change the focus from the value you want to receive from others, to the value your music can provide to others.
Doing this will take your SMART goals to a whole other level!
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