That moment when you open a goal-setting document… and your mind goes blank or critical instead of inspired. Do you know your best goal-setting “mode”?
There are excellent files that help with goal-setting. Excellent planning tools, structures. But so you ever find yourself just staring at the file and going blank?
I know some people who dont set goals for that reason. Because when they sit down to “think” about them, nothing shows up. Or there is an inner critic shooting down any idea that tries to show their face. Or what shows up feels like a heavy to do list of all the things “I should be doing”.
Setting great goals is a developed skill. And while people are very different, there are a few common things I have noticed in general about humans, through my coaching clients and also being in the trial/error myself in figuring out a great goal system that supports my growth.
Thinking about goals needs an inspiring environment—something to help get out of the all-controlling cognitive rational mind into the right-brain intuition. Something to get away from the critic. To get access to the visionary.
If you try to set inspiring goals while your nervous system is wired and your brain is in “problem-solving survival mode,” you’ll usually pick goals that are responsible, realistic, and a probably uninspiring.
Here are some ways I get myself into a great goal-setting mode:
1. Calm the nervous system first.
Creative goals don’t come from pressure. They come from safety.
A few quick ways I do this:
– a phoneless walk outside; just observing, deep breaths, engaging my senses
slow stretching with some quiet meditative audio to release tension
– a fast run and possibly some upbeat music when the energy wants to get out and the “doer” inside of me doesnt want to take a seat.
-and my all-time favorite Friday ritual: work-out, slow stretching, long sauna. I call this my “Big picture thinking time”.
2. Movement + record my thoughts.
Movement opens thinking. When I have a trouble getting my thinking going, I walk outside; or drive a car , talk out loud, and record whatever comes. No filtering. Later I either listen back or use an AI transcriber to pull out the gold.
Because sometimes it is not about calming nervous system, sometimes it is also about waking it up. And moving the body is one great way.
3. Change the environment.
This is underrated. Your brain links spaces to modes. Choose inspiring surroundings for inspiring goals.
4. Separate “dreamer” from “critic”.
First I think what I want, whats possible. Then I think about the HOW. Those 2 require different mindset filters and don’t mix well towards great outcomes in goal-setting.
Why go through all this “hassle” to do proper goal-setting?
Because your next year might depend on it.
Specific, inspiring, aligned, and well-thought-through goals will shape your focus and energy and therefore the quality of life you create.