This past weekend, I got started on something that feels both exciting and a little intimidating.

I began writing and recording my next album.

It’s still early. There are ideas, melodies, lyrics, voice notes, unfinished recordings, and a lot of work ahead. But before I even started, I gave myself a goal:

Complete the entire album by the end of this year.

Now, I know how that sounds.

Especially after just releasing Watch Me Work.

But I've learned something about myself over the years: if I don't have a vision for where I'm going, it's easy to get distracted by where I am.

Goals give us direction.

They give us something to work toward when motivation fades. They create momentum, generate activity, and help us stay focused when life gets busy or difficult. And maybe most importantly, they give us a way to measure progress.

Because just talking about doing something isn't the same as deciding to do it.

I've had plenty of ideas that never became anything more than conversations. Songs I said I would write. Projects I said I would finish. Dreams I said I would chase "when the time was right."

But the truth is, dreams without discipline can stay dreams forever.

JC Penny once said, "Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I will give you a man who makes history. Give me a man without a goal and I will give you a stock clerk."

That stuck with me.

A goal makes you specific.

Without one, you can become what some people call a "wandering generality" busy, moving, doing things, but never really going anywhere.

And that's something I'm trying to be more intentional about in this season.

I have a professional life. I have a family. I'm a husband and a father. I have responsibilities that don't disappear just because I have another album I want to make.

That's exactly why discipline and planning matter.

I can't wait around for inspiration to magically show up.

I have to make time.

I have to protect the vision.

I have to sit down and write when I don't feel creative. I have to record when I'm tired. I have to plan ahead because life will always find a way to fill every available space.

Vision tells you where you're going.

Planning helps you get there.

But discipline?

Discipline is what keeps you moving when the excitement wears off.

So this weekend, I took the first step.

Not because I have the entire album figured out.

Not because every song is written.

Not because I know exactly what the finished product will sound like.

I started because I have a vision.

And now I have a goal.

The goal is to have this next album complete by the end of the year.

Will everything go exactly according to plan? Probably not.

But I would rather adjust a plan while moving forward than spend another year talking about what I want to do.

So here's to the next chapter.

The next songs.

The late nights.

The unfinished ideas.

The discipline it will take to see the vision through.

Because eventually, a vision has to become more than something you see.

You have to build it.

And this time, I'm not just talking about what's next.

I'm planning for it. Working toward it. I'm excited that, one day you'll get to hear what this season is creating.