4 Problems with Goal Setting

Our whole lives we are asked what the goal is. Is the goal to be a teacher? To run a marathon? To get a master’s degree. This goal oriented mentality may sound great, but what if there was a better way to achieve your dreams and BE who you want to be? There is because I am DOING IT and I am excited to share my methods to make YOU successful! Let’s break down the top 4 problems with goal setting AND the solutions!

What is the Common Problem of Goal Setting?

Not knowing who the fuck you are. Envision the person you want to become. Seriously. Stop reading for 60 seconds, take a breath, who do you want to be? What do you want to be doing? What does that look like? The problem of goal setting is trying to set an outcome without doing the internal work. 

Now that you have that image, everything you do needs to cast a vote for that person. A bit of fake it until you make it. You want to run a 6 figure + photography business? ACT like a 6 figure + business person. Show up early, look professional, speak up! Who you want to be is a big question. It’s ok if you don’t know where to begin YET. 

One method is to think of the results you want to achieve and work backwards. You want six pack abs, what does a person who has six pack abs do every day? When you work backward from the results you want, you identify the type of person who could get those results and implement your own strategies to achieve it. 

How to Identify Who You Want to be

Now, ask yourself “who is the type of person who could run a successful business?” The answer is that those types of people are consistent and visionary. Now your focus shifts from getting six pack abs (outcome-based) to being the type of person who is consistent and visionary (identity-based). 

Rooted in your identity is more than just an objective to obtain. It’s who the fuck you are. Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything, amIright? What are your values? Who do you stand for? What are your wishes? Identify your values! Who do you wish to become? My recent post about Why I’m an LGBTQ+ Ally – 🏳️‍🌈 love is love may not appear to have anything to do with my business when it has EVERYTHING to do with it. This is the business I proudly run, and I am loud and proud to be an ally. What I do needs to be in line with my belief system.

Why Who You Want to be MATTERS!

The biggest thing for me is in the wedding industry, you don’t see a lot of LGBTQ+ couples and that is an absolute shame. It’s unacceptable. The larger issue stems from a discrimination of this community worldwide on a much larger, societal scale. That’s the biggest problem that I have with the wedding industry. That’s why I’m an LGBTQ+ ally! Everyone should feel safe and authentic to who they are. It’s NOT OK that society makes these lovely human beings feel bad because of who they love. Love is love. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. 

For me, this belief leads into my identity: 

• I’m the kind of photographer who creates adventurous experiences for ALL couples. 
• I’m the kind of CEO who makes a difference by empowering myself and others.

Your identity will be your guiding light if you get off track. If something doesn’t feel right to you, it’s not. Trust your gut, and let that shit go. If you’re asking yourself “why do I struggle with goal setting” it most likely is because you haven’t taken this first step to identify who you want to be yet.

Your Habits Set Up Your Success

Tackling problems with goal setting, number two. It’s not about hyper fixating on the goal. It’s about tiny, daily habits. Focus on small habits, not the traditional goal. We’ll get into systems later which are the bigger gears that help your business operate. Habits are what you do every day to shape you into the person you want to be. Create daily habits that help you automatically be more successful.

Take your photography business to the next level by embracing good habits for a successful photography business! HABITS NOT OUTCOMES! True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation (the outcome, the goal), but the only reason you’ll stick with it is that it becomes part of your identity. The goal is not to make six figures, the goal is to become a CEO. The goal is not to get a six pack, the goal is to become a runner. It’s not to make 100k a year with photography, the goal is to become a luxury wedding photographer.

Soooo what habits should you follow to build your successful photography business? We created a list of 30 Habits to create a successful photography business to help get you brainstorming on what works for YOU!

Problems with Goal Setting – You’re Not Building a System

The third in our problems with goal setting is not building a system. Once you know who you want to be and have incorporated the habits to get there, then we are leaning into the systems to propel your business forward.

Systemizer! If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal might be to build a million-dollar business. Your system is how you test product ideas, hire employees, and run marketing campaigns. Ignore the goal + focus on the system = success!

Our photographer version of that, your goal might be to book clients to build a multiple six figure business. Your system is how you create your art and create an experience for your clients.

Example: you create a flawless, automated customer experience with monthly emails sent to your client about helpful wedding planning resources. That’s a system that (once created) you won’t need to touch very often and you KNOW your clients are getting excellent service. 

Systems and Survivorship, How to Combat Problems with Goal Setting

Next, you brainstorm and create posing ideas that you feel best represent your brand and your WHY. You practice it over and over again so when paying customers get in front of your lens, you can easily replicate. 

Schedule your social media calendar based on the topics that are important to your client. Take (1) day out of the month and schedule all social media posts for the month. 

Don’t fall for survivorship bias. We concentrate on the people who end up winning (the survivors) and mistakenly assume that an ambitious goal led to their success, while overlooking the people who had the same goal, but didn’t achieve it. It isn’t the goal that gets some businesses to a multiple six figures. Presumably, everybody has that goal! The goal has always been there. It was because of the system of consistent small improvements that got them on top.

As the amazing author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, writes, “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” Yes, SIR!

Problems with Goal Setting? There is no Quick Fix to Achievement.

The last of our problems with goal setting is that goals are a stagnant measure, you deserve long term success! Having a goal is easy. I have a goal to have a million dollars. So does the guy next to me. What’s the difference?  Accomplishing the goal only changes your life for that moment in time. What about after you make that goal once, then do you stop working? How many Oscar winners are now forgotten? Also, being able to build a system so if you don’t achieve the goal right away, you don’t give up! Did Leonardo DiCaprio give up after YEARS of being snubbed for an Oscar? Nope, he kept pushing, working his systems, and he is better known than some of the one time winners. He kept going. 

So, how do we shift from goal to system? Real basic here, but an article once told me that the key to success is making your bed every day. Maybe you have heard the now viral speech Adm. McRaven Urges Graduates to Find Courage to Change the World, but that is literally a suggestion he gives. 

Assuming you already make your bed, you badass you, imagine you have a goal to keep your office tidy. You summon the energy, clear your desk every day, Clorox the surface, and things stay tidy. For a while. Soon, your office slides back into organizational chaos because you still have the same pack-rat habits you started with. You’ll be looking at clutter until you find another short burst of motivation. And the process rises and falls again and again. 

Girl Bye, My Own System

Why does this happen? You chase the same outcome because you didn’t change the system behind it. You only put a bandaid on it, but you didn’t treat the cause. If you want to change more than your life for just a moment, you need to change the system. I am VERY proud of my “girl bye” ritual at the end of every day. It is built into my day, not just something I do “if I have time.” Guess what? I am NEVER going to “have time” to clean. I’ll “have time” for a spicy margarita on the rocks, but in order for me to keep my things together at the end of the day, I need to build a system for it.

Now I’m not here to gate keep, so here is my Girl Bye method. I work from home (do a pantsless dance jig if this is also you!) so quitting at the end of the day can be a challenge.

Problems with Goal Setting, They Don’t Include an EXACT System

4:15 PM, my phone alarm sounds. I use the standard “Kettle” sound on my iPhone for those wondering. It’s a pleasant way to signal my workday is done.

I shut down my computer.

Clear off my desk. 

Physically, close the door to my office

Schedule my phone to “do not disturb,”

Park my pretty ass down outside and complete my gratitude journal.

These are not luxuries “if I have time”, I make the time. I do these every single day that I am home working.

What’s your Girl, Bye routine?  Tag me on Instagram if you share your own Girl Bye method! Love to see it.

Goals are at odds with long-term progress. True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking and more who I am, what are my habits, and what are my systems in place to be who I want to be?

When to Use Goals

Now, this isn’t a slam piece. We have tapped into what are the negatives of goal setting but now we can approach WHEN to use them! We’re problem solving over here! I use goals for tangible business measurables such as percentage of income goal achieved, website sessions that week, and my conversion rate. Having a high level look at quarterly rocks compared to the yearly goal and measuring my progress is a tool to identify if some of my systems need a refresh.

True story – In 2021, I set a 2 year goal for my elopement photography business to make a certain amount and a 20% increase each year. When I look at 2024, I’ve already surpassed my vision tracker! PRETTY FREAKING COOL! 

Here are some of the metrics I use to measure business health:

Total Revenue

Average Package Price

Associate Team Package Price

Measurable Goals

When I look at the numbers for my 2026 income goal and what my packages should be, I am above the next track. That is amazing! The only way I know these is to keep track of my measurable goals.

It’s amazing how much we can change in just three years! Keep these records in place as reminders that you’re doing something! You are moving the needle and year over year you can make a ton of difference! You can double your average package booking in three years and I can show you because I have done it!

Still Having Problems with Goal Setting? Let’s Connect.

Bottom line, I’m the systemizer! My systems aren’t about JUST setting intentions, it’s how I create the systems of success AND YOU CAN TOO! I can help you envision your identity and pin point YOUR habits to build success. With my coaching program, I help clients chart their goals in 5 year, 1 year, and quarterly chunks. Can’t wait to help you become the person you want to be! Until then, girl, clean off your desk.