“I Just Want to Be Good”
I hear this constantly.
“I want to be a good electrician.”
“I just want to be a good mechanic.”
“I want to make a lot of money.”
“I want to be confident.”
Cool.
But what does that mean?
Because if your goal has no number, no definition, no structure… your brain can move it forever.
You move 10 metres forward.
Your brain moves the goal another 10 metres.
You move again.
It moves again.
And then you sit there telling yourself:
“I’m so far away.”
“I’m not there yet.”
“I’m not good enough.”
You’re not far away.
You’re chasing a moving target.
The “Good Electrician” Example
A few weeks ago, I had a client say:
“I’ll feel confident when I’m a good electrician.”
Okay.
What is a good electrician?
She said:
- Someone who doesn’t need help.
- Someone who makes very minimal mistakes.
- Someone who can recall information easily.
- Someone who can fix most faults on their own.
Now — for context — she’s nearing the end of her first year qualified.
From everything she’s told me?
The way she learns from mistakes?
The way she absorbs information?
I would absolutely call her a good electrician.
But she didn’t believe that.
So I asked her:
“Do you know someone you’d call a good electrician?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. How often do they ask for help?”
“Oh… maybe once a week.”
“How often do they make mistakes?”
“Oh, you know, nothing major, but every now and then.”
“Do you think you make more or fewer mistakes than them?”
“About the same.”
“Do you ask for help more than them?”
“About the same.”
And suddenly… the goal wasn’t so far away.
Because she was already there.
The problem wasn’t her skill.
The problem was the vagueness.
The Experience Trap
We must be really careful with this in the trades.
If you compare yourself to someone with 10 years’ experience when you have 2…
When you get to 10 years, they’ll have 20.
You will physically never “catch” them unless they leave the tools for a decade.
So, if your goal is:
“I want to be as good as them.”
Your brain can use that to bully you forever.
It’s not that you’re bad.
It’s not that they’re better.
It’s that time exists.
And your brain loves using that against you.
We do not need to be adding extra misery to our lives.
There are enough things in the world that create hardship.
We don’t need to manufacture it ourselves.
The Money Example
Another client said:
“I want to make a lot of money this year.”
Okay.
How much did you make last year?
(She told me.)
To me? It sounded like a lot.
To her? “No, that’s not a lot.”
So, I asked:
“What is a lot?”
She couldn’t answer.
If you don’t know what “a lot” is… you will never achieve it.
Because you’ll never be able to say:
“Yes. I did it.”
So we worked it out.
Was it a total number?
Was it a percentage profit per job?
Was it a growth percentage?
She picked the number.
Not me.
It must feel aligned for you.
Independence Isn’t a Personality Trait — It’s a Metric
Another common one:
“I want to be independent.”
Okay.
What does independent mean?
Never asking for help?
Let’s be real.
In the trades, you will never know everything.
Sometimes you need:
- A second pair of hands.
- A second brain on a weird fault.
- Someone to sanity-check something.
So maybe independence looks like:
“I currently call for help twice a day.
I’d like to reduce that to once a day.”
That’s measurable.
Or:
“I’ll give myself 10 extra minutes before calling.”
Now you’re stretching your brain — but you’re still safe.
And here’s something interesting:
Sometimes you’ll pick up the phone, say two words, and realise you already know the answer.
Because your nervous system relaxed.
That’s growth.
That’s measurable.
That’s progress.
Mood Goals Count Too
Even emotional goals can have structure.
Instead of:
“I just want to feel better.”
Try:
“I want 5 out of 7 days to feel mostly okay.”
Track it with smiley faces if you want.
But give it a number.
Because numbers stop your brain from shifting the goalpost.
What Vague Goals Really Do
When you say:
“I want to be excellent.”
“I want to be amazing.”
“I want to be good.”
Your brain hears:
“Never enough.”
Because there’s no finish line.
And if there’s no finish line, you never get to celebrate.
High standards are fine.
But if your standards are undefined and making you miserable?
Are they helping?
Or are they just another stick to beat yourself with?
Put Numbers on It
Instead of:
“I want to be better at services.”
Try:
“I want to complete services in 2 hours instead of 3.”
Instead of:
“I want to be faster.”
Try:
“I want to change brakes in 45 minutes instead of an hour.”
Instead of:
“I want to be confident.”
Try:
“I want to speak up once per toolbox meeting.”
Concrete.
Measurable.
Achievable.
Stretchy — but realistic.
Final Thought
Please stop using vague goals to bully yourself.
You are not behind.
You are not useless.
You are not failing.
You are chasing undefined targets.
Define them.
Hit them.
Celebrate them.
Then set the next one.
That’s growth.
If you’re a tradeswoman or tradesperson who’d like some help navigating this journey, I’d love to chat. You can book a coaching consultation with me here:
https://calendly.com/louise-azzopardi/coaching_consult
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