Setting goals for your voice practice

Today I want to talk about the difference between identity based goals and target based goals. A target based goal is when you have a target and you want to reach it. So, in the case of your trans voice practice, a target based goal might sound like "I want a more feminine voice."

An identity based goal is different in that it is centred around your identity. So, rather than having a feminine voice as a target, you might decide you'd like to  become a person who practices every day.

The thing about target based goals is that sometimes they can be a little hard to achieve because the goal post is moving or you're not sure when you get there. You may or may not know if your voice is sufficiently feminine, or sometimes you may get misgendered and other times you don't, and so it's unclear when you've reached your goal. Identity based goals are things that you can control: you can definitely track if you're practising every day. Having identity based goals can help give you a sense accomplishment and control in your practice because only YOU know and define the markers you set for yourself.

Try to shift your mindset around practice this week: make your goal to be a person who practices!