The only one setting goals for you that matters is yourself. You should want to do more than the person employing you wants you to do. I mean the bare basics are fine if you want to skirt along, but if you do a little extra you might advance yourself. That is how I always interpreted it, but then I also liked to transpose it into my independent work too. If I’m working for myself I want to work hard and go a little above and beyond too.
I periodically catch on the notion of doing too much, writing too much, expecting too much. But you know who baits that hook? People who don’t fucking try, and don’t do even anywhere near enough. They are the same kind of people who try to persuade you not to work so hard because you will make them look bad. They are all full of noise and empty of signal, and you should treat them as such.
Everything you do adds up to a picture. You want the picture to be as close to what you have envisioned as possible, and what does that take? Hard work. Lots of it.
I’m probably preaching to the choir for anyonbe reading who already works hard, but you’re always writing with floating voters in mind, aren’t you?
Goals are what New Year is all about, and a bit of a reckoning as to what you achieved in the last year. Some plans are already in place, but I have more work to do.