The New GKM: On Setting Goals and Being You

 

Do you know what my least favourite word is right now?

Should.

Recently, a life coach friend of mine asked me to help her with a project. ‘What were the questions you had when you first started your own business? What advice do you think would have helped you back then?’ My answer was simple.

I really wish someone would have truly emphasised the importance of just being me, and just being happy.

Whatever your business turns out to be, and wherever it takes you, being happy and true to yourself are your top priorities. No questions asked.

 

In my opinion, aspects of the travel blogging world as we know it today are a mess. It’s a push-and-pull tornado of all these different pieces of advice and information.

 

You should be scheduling your tweets.

You should have a clearly defined niche.

You should only be using Instagram for photos you take on a phone, in the moment.

You should have a monthly editorial calendar set up in advance in order to organise your posts.

 

Notice that pesky word again? Should, should, should.

 

The only time I want to hear the word ‘should’ is when it’s put in this sentence:

You should do what makes you happy.

 

 

Whose best practice is it anyway?

 

I’ll wilfully admit that these points are generally useful. Scheduling tweets can save you time, having a specific niche will make your brand seem more focused, and creating an editorial calendar will help you to be organised. I’m not saying that these things don’t work, I’m saying that this is very general advice.

It is best practice – but is it best for you?

Smart business sense is being aware of the industry you’re trying to be a part of, understanding how that industry flows and fluctuates, and keeping an eye on your peers and competitors. However, there is such a thing as information overload – listening to what everyone has to say, all the time. It rapidly leads to concerning yourself with the actions of others, and how they are achieving their goals. This might help you to an extent, but it can also clog things up. I see it happening all the time, and I too have struggled with this in the travel blogging community. I’ve been guilty of listening to other people’s shoulds.

 

As you slide into this deeper, things start to get seriously complicated. You begin to take in all this information and spend your time trying to absorb each piece to figure out how you can apply it to your business.

There are thousands of different ways to do one thing – different combinations of how to organise your content, set up your site, run your social media – and by listening to too many other people and other pieces of information, you start to forget why it is you’re doing it in the first place. The reasoning becomes ‘because this is what everyone else is doing’, not ‘because this will directly help me to achieve my success’.

 

Your ultimate goal becomes blocked and forgotten behind a giant brick wall of processes, and that is the very last place you want your goals to be.

And happiness? Most of the time, it barely comes into the equation.

 

Turning Best Practice on Its Head

 

I propose turning that process around. For the sake of ease, I’m laying this out in three steps.

 

Step One: Imagine your goal

 

And imagine what that goal for your business would be if nothing stood in your way. No logic, or reason, or limitations – imagine what it is that you want without thinking about actually getting there. The end result, best case scenario, wants that echo inside you which are usually crushed by reality.

What would you love your business to be if anything were possible?

By thinking of your goal in this way, it will naturally incorporate your dreams and happiness – that one should that really matters. With this as your foundation, your well-being will be a part of every decision you take from here on out. Make your goal, and thus your happiness, the beginning of the process – the root of each part of the journey from now on.

 

Step Two: Investors

 

Who is going to invest in you?

Now that you have a mission, an ideal, think about who is going to help you get there; your audience and people interested in your product.

Who are they, where are they, what are their interests, and what can you give them that they don’t already have?

Having a vivid picture of these people in your mind is a necessary asset to your business and brand. They’ll help you to create your happiness.

 

Step Three: Execution

 

Now is the time to start thinking about that best practice, and this is where you can get selective.

By having your goal laid out first, you’ll quickly realise that not all of that best practice is going to actually apply to you. You can now de-clutter all the information and choose parts that will make you reach your goal.

By having a clear picture of your audience in mind, some of that best practice isn’t going to be relevant to finding them either. Your focus is sharpened only on the things you and your audience are interested in, cutting more baggage and wasted time.

 

In the travel blogging world, it can be applied like this: someone who wants to run a blog to enable them to travel the world for free should be listening to different sets of best practice as someone who is running a blog because they want to get into professional travel writing. Some small parts will overlap, but essentially you’re looking and two different goals and audiences, and therefore two different processes.

Unfortunately, for the most part the information we’re given as travel bloggers – the ‘this is how you run a successful travel blog’ info – isn’t presented in such a way. It’s blanket advice from different people, with different goals, and it becomes extremely confusing to digest.

 

 

Consider taking these three steps every day. Instead of waking up and leaping right into the processes (or going on social media!), give just 10 minutes first thing in the morning, each morning, to imagining that goal. That beautiful, unadulterated goal. Take a moment to picture your audience too.

Now look at the time you have available that day. Write out a list of things you are going to do in that time that will directly help you to achieve that goal, and talk to that audience.

I believe that this list will be more focused, efficient, and driven than anything you would have done had you considered it all the other way around.

Your goal is not solely the end result – it is the beginning, middle and the end, bringing your happiness along with it through the journey.

 

What does this have to do with the new GKM?

 

This might all sound like very elementary business advice but I see it forgotten in my industry every day. I feel like I’m looking at blogger activity on Facebook, among too much chatter and too much noise, watching people drowning in too much general advice. I’ve been one of them, and I know I’m not alone.

I’m tying these issues into a post about my relaunch because, in all honesty, I’m absolutely exhausted.

I’m tired of trying to take in all this advice because I’m being fed the opinion that it’s what I need to be doing to be successful. But the truth is, I don’t want to spend any time scheduling all my tweets out for the next week. I don’t want to make sure I have a strong presence on every single social media platform, and having 10,000 followers on all of them isn’t going to give me my goal. I don’t want to give my travel experiences over to someone else by participating in a press trip and following a pre-set itinerary. I don’t begrudge the people that do, it isn’t wrong to want those things – but it’s just not me.

 

So what do I want?

I want to write.

It’s as simple as that.

 

Sadly, it got to the point a few months ago where I was spending 90% of my time doing all the things I didn’t want to do, and only 10% on actually writing, because I thought that’s what it took for me to be successful. I thought that’s the way it is, so I just have to get on with it.

This reflected in the quality of my writing, and putting together a post became a chore because I was creating things that I thought were most likely to get shared. I’ve put my name on articles that I now cannot stand the sight of. I didn’t have any time to actually develop my writing skills, because I was too concerned about writing something that will persuade someone to click share, because that’s the most popular blogging mentality. Yes, it’s good to have your work shared, of course, but for me, not at the price of quality.

I feel like an idiot. I would consider myself strong-willed, but I took on all this advice that just wasn’t me, and I find myself disappointed by not seeing this sooner.

I’ve been blogging for four years, and for the last two of them I’ve been doing things that I don’t want to do because I’ve been listening to too many people telling me to do them. My goal is to be a writer – for a magazine I highly respect and am passionate about – so why the hell am I not spending most of my time writing?

 

‘Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.’

– Steve Jobs

 

Well said, Steve.

So, it’s about time I started to love what I do.

I want to write stories about travel. I want not to inspire people with lists or how-tos, but with stories that document specific experiences about the people I meet and the places I see. Tangible, simple stories that connect us both to the vast unknown and to our neighbours. Every inch of this world tells a thousand of them, and I’d like to do my best at trying to tell you as many as I can. I also want to write about food and books, share my photographs, tell humorous tales, and motivate readers with pieces about life and all its challenges – but in one way or another all these stories will be about travel, because to me, travel is everything.

I want these to be stories for the insatiably curious, people who question why and are willing to look beyond a place, a person, a photo, a street, and do their best to understand it. The kind of people who want more from their online experiences with travel than just a few clicks and a scan of a page, who are happy to take 20 minutes out of their day to read a good story, appreciate it, reflect on it, and let it ignite in them a desire to adventure.

That’s it. That’s what I want Gotta Keep Movin’ to be, and those are the people I want to speak to. That is what my goal would be if anything were possible, and thinking about it makes me euphoric.

 

 

Things are looking a little different around here. My site redesign is a reflection of my blogging de-clutter. You might not see all the features and bells or whistles that you see on many travel blogs, but that’s because I want content – my travel stories – to be the full driving force behind Gotta Keep Movin’. My old posts will still be up on this website for some time to come – the lists, the guides, the reviews – but you might see them disappear over time, and be replaced with more storytelling. If you’re someone who thinks they might want to hear them, I even have a new subscribe feature – and all you’ll get from me is notifications about the new stories I have to share.

Looks like I have my work cut out. I know I can write a good story, but I want to be able to write an insanely good story. So I’m going to get selective with the people I listen to, and take the time to develop. This website will be a journal of that development. I’m a firm believer that no matter how close you get to the top, there is always room to grow.

So world, watch me grow.

 

Embrace the Journey

 

But enough about me.

It’s easy at this point for me to sit here and tell you how to reach your goals as my own are so clear in my mind. I know some of you might be thinking that yours aren’t as vivid. That said, remember that it’s taken me four years to get to this point. Four years of trial and error to figure out what the heck it is I want and how I want to reach it.

If you don’t know your specific goal right now, that’s okay. Even just an inclining will help you get started, and that’s when you turn to your happiness to help out.

 

What makes you happy and what are your passions – how can you transform that into a business?

 

I like writing, so I started blogging. After all these ups and downs, trying things one way and then trying them another, I eventually came to this goal, refusing to give up on what makes me happy even though I have been very close several times.

It’s good for it to be a journey like that. Those unhappy moments help you to tune into your goals even more, and I may not have got to this point without them. Not every moment is going to fill you will joy, and there will be times when you’re just not in the mood to do anything. As long as those moments don’t overwhelm the parts that satisfy you, it’s natural. By staying acutely aware of your happiness every step of the way, your goal will shift and change with it – and that’s a good thing! You’re figuring it out.

Your happiness and goals reflect and bounce off each other, so if one’s not working you might need to take a look at the other to find a solution.

The two are like train tracks – running parallel to help it all move in the same direction.

 

‘Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.’

– Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO

 

This final part of this long essay is a word to both of us, because taking this change and going against a lot of what I’ve been taught is terrifying. So this is what I want to say to you and I both.

Imaging that goal as part of Step One in the process might fill you with fear. Depending on how adventurous you get with your goal, it may feel like you’re dreaming of the impossible. That said, I’m pretty sure we all know that anyone in history who has created something new and proven the impossible possible has been told at some point along the way that they were an idiot and that it couldn’t be done.

If there isn’t a way, find a way.

If it doesn’t exist, bring it into existence.

Fall over, makes mistakes, and keep building things until something sticks.

And for God’s sake, be happy.

 

I’ve been falling over for quite some time, and I will certainly fall over again. But I can promise you one thing – I will get back up.

 

 

Welcome to the new Gotta Keep Movin’.
Thanks for coming along for the ride!

 

 

 



27 responses to “The New GKM: On Setting Goals and Being You”

  1. Arlene says:

    Absolutely Loved this Post!! Needed this and was so encouraged by it. Its like you expressed everything I needed to hear from someone who doesn’t know me lol… Being Happy Is def. the only thing I “should” be focused on. If we don’t risk something we will never get anywhere!!! Thank You…

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      So happy you identified with this post, Arlene! You’re so welcome. I think, when writing it, I needed to hear it all just as much as my readers – it was therapeutic in that way. Just concentrate on the things that make you personally happy, and that will come through in everything you do 🙂

  2. I want to kiss you right now for this post. I also love how different your blog looks to all the thousand others. You are truly one of a kind – and you are so damn right. The only thing one ‘should’ do, is what makes us happy.

    Cheers to that – a new fan of yours!

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Potentially the single best comment I’ve ever received, Tess – I am completely flattered. Thanks so much for taking the time to write it, and for recognising the difference in my blog. I put a lot of work into making it that way and it’s a wonderful feeling when someone not only notices it but likes it, too! Hoping to bring you lots more where this came from 🙂

  3. Veronica says:

    First time I read you. Lucky me to meet you with this post. So inspiring, so eye-opening. Thank you for sharing. Your words resonate in my heart. I felt miserable the day I wrote a “10 things to do in…” instead of a story of the guy at the coffe shop.

    I’ve been writting my stories and finding myself using the “catchy” title instead of the one that I really want. No more shoulds for me either.

    A big GRACIAS all the way from Mexico. I’m looking forward to read you.

  4. Lukey D says:

    This is where I’m supposed to write a concise eloquent response that adds to the conversation? Eff that… I effing loves this article! I’m only going to allow myself to read one more of your articles today. I’m worried if I didn’t fall in love with you enough in Athens GKM will do the trick.
    Keep doing what you’re doing, ‘cos you’re doing everything right.
    LukeyD

  5. Penny Sadler says:

    Great post that I know I will return to again and again.
    I do want people to read my writing, of course! But I also want it to be good writing that I love, not just top 10 lists. I try to incorporate a little of both, my writing and presenting it in a way that people will want to read it. I’ve done the press trip thing, it has it’s ups and downs. I dream of taking a trip where I have to do it all, tour, experience, write, photograph.

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thanks for your kind words, Penny – they mean a lot. I like that you’re speaking your goals! It’s undoubtedly tough to break away from the usual way of doing things, like the press trips you talked about here, but I think there is a way to get around it all and still be you. Finding that way is the difficult part, but putting your mind to it is the first step!

  6. Jodi Duncan says:

    I love this post so so much. You’re such a huge inspiration for me, and I just wanted to thank you for everything you’re doing. xx

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Jodi! What an amazing comment to receive on a Monday morning. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, I seriously appreciate it 🙂 I hope you’ve managed to set some goals with the techniques I’ve mentioned and that you’re including happiness in all of them!

  7. Emmanuel says:

    Hello Emma!
    (my friends call me Emma – this is common in Argentinian Spanish, so we are “tocayos” 🙂

    This is the first time I read you, and I’m glad to meet you through this post because we share the dream of writing stories, travelling and taking photographs. These I’ve been thinking a lot about it, so your post is really helpful, eye-opening and inspiring.

    Wish you success in all your attempts to reach your goals. And I’ll definetely keep reading you!

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Hi Emma! That’s so cool to hear about my (our! name being common in Argentina. By the way – I LOVE YOUR COUNTRY! Argentina is so beautiful, I will definitely be spending a lot of time there in the future. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, and I hope that you get to fulfil your dreams of writing and taking photos too. And thank you for continuing to read! If you would like to make it easy and have email updates, hit the subscribe button in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen! Thanks again 🙂

  8. Lauren says:

    Good on you! Sometimes you have to listen to your own heart and do what is right for you. After all, a blog is something personal to you and your experiences, and it can be whatever you want it to be. I look forward to reading your travel stories!

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thank you, Lauren! Kind of you to read and comment. Same to you guys! Your support has not gone unnoticed – thanks for sticking around 🙂 Hope you manage to reach your goals with your blog too!

  9. I so hear ya, Emma!
    I’ve had this problem for a while, and it’s resulted in a bit of a stalemate with my blog… being torn between what I want to do and what I think I should do.
    It’s all about getting a balance isn’t it? And you’re right – finding what makes you tick is the most important.

    Loving the new site look 🙂

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Hi Linda – thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for your kind words about the new site 🙂 I’m so happy with it.
      Yep, know exactly what you mean about that stalemate. But now I’m getting into just doing my own thing and writing about the things I love, I’ve also realised that my work feels better, more natural, and I think that passion really comes through in it for you and your readers. So, of course, I’m encouraging people to do the same. I think if we all did what we loved our industry would thrive!
      Keep on keeping on, and hope you manage to find that balance soon 🙂

  10. What a great read! Something every new blogger should read for sure. We all love to write, and you’re so correct that all the other “stuff” can very easily out shadow the actual writing.

    Best of luck to you in this next step!!

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thank you so much, Sarah! The funny thing is – I know numerous bloggers (including some that find themselves at the very top of travel blogging) who have actually admitted to me that they can’t stand writing… It baffles me a little, but hey – if that’s not you goal, that’s not your goal. Really appreciate your well-wishes 🙂

  11. AMEN! And amen again! I’ve been arguing for years that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to blogging (or travel, for that matter) that works for everyone. It’s about finding your own bliss and pursuing your passions. Keep on moving, girl! 😉

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      I knew that this post would totally be your jam, Bret – thank you for reading it! You guys have always preached that, and that’s what I love about y’all. So much love for people that use my blog name in comments, too 😉

  12. All the best for this new stage! So excited to be in the list of places you decided to share. Dear Emma, keep rockin´!

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thank you, Maria! All your love and support for the last two years has not gone unnoticed – I’m very grateful! xx

  13. Katie says:

    I love this post! I am in blogging because I love writing and telling stories too. Some days I do get caught up in what I should be doing, Social Media engagement, SEO blah blah blah. But I really want to just share my stories, and photography, and to inspire people. I would rather only have a few readers that are loyal and care about what I am writing rather than loads of page views because I wrote a mindless top 10 article. My blog is my hobby and my passion and I don’t make money from it, which makes it easier to stick to my guns and do it my way. I could imagine that if you were earning your income from it it would be a lot harder. You are an incredible writer and I am so happy to hear that you are going to be doing more of it. I am looking forward to reading 🙂

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thank you for such a thoughtful comment, Katie – it’s really touched me (so much so that I actually clutched at my chest like an old woman when I read your comment. Yep, that’s where I’m at now apparently!!) I love your goals – telling stories and accumulating some loyal readers, that’s very admirable and I can certainly relate. You’re right, things do get tricky when you have to start earning money from it, but I like to think all is not lost and there is still a lot of worth in just focusing on telling bloody good stories. Keep up the good work and listen to your wants – ‘stick to my guns and do it my own way’. High five to that!

  14. Sofie says:

    I absolutely love this post. It’s SO recognizable!
    It’s so easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” and then feel bad because you never do them enough, simply because they’re not your thing.
    I want to go for what I love. I’m seeking for what I love. It might take me some time, but I think it’ll be worth it.

    • Gotta Keep Movin' says:

      Thanks so much, Sofie – I’m so happy you could relate. It will absolutely be worth it, I promise you. I’m already feeling like it’s worth it just from the incredible responses to this post. Do what you love, girl – the rewards will naturally follow!

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