Goals and Intentions: Setting Your Head and Heart on the Right Path
I'm not that kind of Life Coach.
I'll tell you upfront: I'm not the kind of Life Coach who believes in words to set goals like Let's Smash Our Goals or Create Goals that will blow your mind - you get my drift. I don't think that way is all that authentic. It might be exciting at that moment, but it's unlikely to have the longevity we need to sustain us in achieving our goals.
Choosing goals that come from our hearts will bring joy to our lives and motivate us. I think it's a much gentler approach, but it doesn't need to be any less ambitious.
Creating a Heart list
So first, we start by creating a Heart list. This is created from questions that connect us with our emotions and deeper desires, guiding our reflection beyond surface-level goals.
These answers make life interesting, purposeful, and exciting.
That's what MOTIVATES us. They create the WHY of life. Here we go:
What would truly bring me joy and fulfilment this year?
What do I want to make more time for this year?
How do I need to take care of myself?
What and who do I value the most?
What bucket list item would I like to achieve?
Goal Setting
Now, write these answers to your Heart questions on big sheets of paper, which will become your goals. See the photo of mine.
I've written mine under these headings:
Health; Relationships; Financial; Business or Career; Personal Development/Recreation
Change the heading titles as you like, and you don't have to have all of them; make them relevant to you.
I find I'm changing those goals already. I thought my overall focus for the year was going to be creativity. But I've now realised it's self-care. The creativity is flowing well, and that will happen naturally. I won't need to work hard in that area. But for self-care, I have a lot of new habits to create!
The next step is detailing the goals. Ask yourself this question when setting your monthly goals:
What do I need to do to make this happen?
Then, to break down your goals further, the weekly question is –
What small actions can I take to help me achieve my goals?
(Some Life Coaches say that you should set out all your weekly tasks for the year, but that is way too overwhelming for me, and you know life changes and goals change!)
I like to set specific goals for the first three months, which is less overwhelming.
Sure, for business, I will set out my calendar for the year, when I will run my courses and then plan the first 6 months in more detail.
Just One Word
And finally, to summarise your year ahead, choose one word. Is it a building year, connection, fun, optimistic, or joyful year? What word is right for you?