Do you set personal goals for yourself?

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No.

There. I’ve answered today’s WordPress question. See you tomorrow.

Of course, that wouldn’t make for a particularly interesting blog post, would it? But that’s the problem with the question. It’s a yes-or-no question, and one of the first things I teach my eighth- and ninth-grade English students is to avoid those when trying to engage a reader.

Consider this opening sentence for an essay: “Have you ever wondered why more people don’t save money?”

The reader answers, “No.”

Now what?

The writer has an entire essay prepared about the importance of saving money, but the reader has already indicated that he isn’t interested. The writer has essentially invited the reader to stop reading before the essay has even begun.

Today’s WordPress prompt makes the same mistake. “Do you set personal goals for yourself?”

No.

The folks at WordPress undoubtedly expect me to say yes and then explain all the wonderful goals I’ve established for myself. But they haven’t actually asked me to do that. They could have at least added, “Why or why not?”

It’s not a bad subject for a question. It’s just a badly written question.

But since I’m here, I suppose I might as well answer the question they intended to ask.

Yes, I set personal goals. But I’m not one of those people who writes out a five-year plan, establishes quarterly benchmarks, and carefully tracks progress on a spreadsheet. I know that works for some people. I’m just not one of them.

Sometimes my goals are specific. I wanted to write a novel, for example. More than that, I wanted to finish it in time to take a copy to my father at a family reunion. I did. I handed him a binder containing the manuscript, and regardless of whether that novel ever gets published, finishing it was an accomplishment I’ll always treasure.

Other goals are more long-term. I’d like to teach for 20 years. I’m not quite halfway there, but it’s something I genuinely want to accomplish. That doesn’t mean I’m counting down the days until I reach that milestone. I still have students to teach, papers to grade, and lessons to prepare between now and then.

And then there are things I’d like to accomplish that I haven’t necessarily turned into formal goals. I’d love to see more people reading what I write. I’d love to get that novel published. I’d like to continue becoming a better teacher, writer, husband, father, and grandfather.

But I think there’s a difference between having goals and allowing those goals to become the measure of your life.

A goal can give you direction. It can motivate you to do something difficult, or help you keep going when quitting would be easier. But not everything worthwhile can be measured by whether you’ve checked another box.

Sometimes success is finishing the novel. Sometimes it’s helping a student finally understand something that’s been frustrating him for weeks. And sometimes it’s simply being present for the people who matter most.

So yes, WordPress, I set personal goals.

And here’s one for you: Try asking better questions.

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