“A happy man is he who obtains his wishes easily.” – Publilius Syrus

We all need goals or a sense of direction in our photography in life.

Or else we feel lost. We feel like a ship without a compass, simply spinning-around at sea.

Having a goal in our photography propels us forward towards a certain place. Although the destination is not always clear, we like having a sense of direction to point us.

However the problem with goals in photography and life is that we often set too-high goals, that end up disappointing us if we don’t achieve them. We seek to gain 1,000 followers, have over 100+ likes on our photos, have a world-class exhibition, have a renowned publisher print our book, and to be known all around the world. We wish to make a good living from our photography, all while always being creative and making great photos.

One of the good strategies of setting your goals and expectations low is that we are more likely to reach them. Furthermore, the only goals I recommend you to have in your photography should be self-imposed. These goals should be accomplished according to your own effort, not by seeking the affirmation of the world.

Here are some bad goals in your photography (that depend on the opinion of others):

• Making a full-time living from your photography
• Getting 100,000 followers on social media
• Buying an expensive camera (outside of your budget)
• Travel the entire world
• Having a world-class exhibition

Here are some better goals you can have in your photography:

• Be a better photographer today than you were yesterday
• Build your own photography website portfolio
• Make photographs that please you and excite you
• Start a personally-meaningful project
• Upload a photograph daily
• Blog about photography daily
• Shoot daily
• Always have your camera with you
• Provide useful and helpful comments and critiques to others

These goals are easily achievable by you — because they are self-driven. You don’t need the permission of gatekeepers to do any of these. All you need is your own will, determination, and passion.

And the more you can achieve your simple goals, the happier you will be, and the more steady progress you will make in your life.

Keep your goals simple, be persistent, work hard, and be happy in your photography.

You got this.

Always,
Eric