ROCKING Your Goals like Tom Petty

Into the great wide open Under the skies of blue Out in the great wide open A rebel without a clue ~ Tom Petty, “Into the Great Wide Open”

In Tom Petty’s song “Into the Great Wide Open,” a young rock ‘n’ roller named Eddie gets a chance at stardom. He has some talent, a bit of luck, and releases a hit record. But Tom reminds us throughout the song that Eddie is ultimately “a rebel without a clue,” and at the end of the song, his future is uncertain.

If you watch the video, the end is even sadder as you watch his life implode. Eddie doesn’t seem to have much control over his own life; he just drifts along, and the end result is that he wastes his talent and opportunities. Know anybody who has done that? We all do; that’s why the song speaks to us.

You and your band want to avoid that path. You need to have a vision that guides you, or else you will all end up “rebels without a clue.” If you’re playing your B chord well, you have already got that part locked down. You have a clearly articulated dream and everyone is on board with pursuing it. That means it’s time to start practicing your G chord, and setting yourselves some GOALS.

Goals enable you to put your vision into action. They take a big idea and transform it into a series of practical steps. Make and keep specific goals, and you will be well on your way to achieving and keeping rock star status. Fumble your goals, or forget them, and you may not even get the chance to be a One Hit Wonder. That’s not what you want; what you want is a wall full of gold records that you can admire every day.

With the help of some of rock ’n’ roll’s most successful stars, we can determine a strategy for creating objectives that you can reach, executing steps as a team, responding to obstacles, and encouraging adaptability.

Learn more about how to ROCK your goals in my book Opportunity Rocks. Don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter! Rock on!