Comic Con 2010: Goalsetting

Friday morning, I went to Douglas Neff's panel called Creative Kickstart: Goal Setting for Creative types. It was essentially a motivational panel with points on how to focus on getting things done in the creative arts, though variations of the same principles could be applied to pretty much any endeavor.

Doug's email is doug(at)toucanlearning.com. What's kinda weird is that ToucanLearning.com seems to redirect to some bizarro google file-sharing page. So I dunno. At any rate, I think the points and the worksheet he handed out were pretty helpful. I won't reiterate all the points, as I don't want to plagiarize the dude, and I don't know how much is available for folks online, but there was one specific point that was the most helpful for me:

Know your Nemesis - The idea s that, your nemesis is that which fights you, and keeps you from working or pursuing your goals. Be it watching TV, or playing games, or collecting toys (All of these are mine, BTW) by knowing it and naming it, this undefeatable "nemesis" can be controlled, and used to work to your benefit. He equated it to the idea that idea that "The darker the villian, the brighter the hero shines". So, there is a benefit to having a nemesis, but only where it doesn't cause you to compromise yourself.

So, how does this apply in light of my Christian views? Pretty well. If i were to address my nemesis, it would be anything good that I abuse, or put above God. For instance, certainly food is good, and In-n-Out is good food. But if I had three Double-Doubles for lunch, it would do me no good, and in fact, harm. The same with playing a game or reading a comic or collecting a toy...when it becomes a hindrance to my character or what needs to be done, it becomes a bane instead of a boon.

Doug also handed out worksheets to help focus an idea or project into a manageable goal. It was a little hard to fill out at first...my apprehension stems from a fear that once the idea is put to paper, it becomes real and then possibly shown to be implausible or impractical..or worse, just a bad idea. Actually, that is a real concern, but recognizing that in an idea helps to refine it to something plausible, practical and in fact a good idea.

I recommend anyone interested in the points mentioned in the panel email Doug at the address above. He encourages contact, and I'm sure would be willing to share his ideas with anyone who asked. At least, I hope so.