Goal setting from a place of abundance and gratitude, rather than scarcity, allows you to align your goals with your core values, and exponentially increases your motivation to achieve those goals.
Here we are, one week away from Thanksgiving, and a time of reflection and #gratitude for all the gifts in our lives, even in the face of hardship, trauma and loss. It’s a beautiful tradition, and one that helps feed our souls with kindness towards ourselves and others.
Yet, in stark contrast, many companies are also embarking on their annual year-end activities. These often include fan evaluation of progress toward the current year’s goals, and the subsequent creation of goals for the upcoming year. Goals that tend to skew towards how to [fill in the blank] – it could range from shoring up innovation gaps in a competitive market, compensating for internal financial losses, increasing shareholder value. What’s the common thread here? They’re all rooted in reactionary thinking.
This mindset bleeds over to our personal lives, and our own goals for the upcoming year. I listen to goals that stem from a mindset of fear and scarcity, a place of self-loathing rather than self-love. I say it’s time we flip the script.
I have an assignment for you. (Note: this is something I do with my clients, but it’s free for you today!) Let’s try goal setting from a place of abundance and gratitude. Instead of focusing on everything you want and don’t have, create a list of 20 items you really want…but at least 10 of them must be things you ALREADY HAVE. For example, I have “flexibility to set my daily schedule” on my list, which is something I already have, and deeply cherish.
From here, add an item or two that you want but don’t already have to that “already have” item. Pulling forward my example above, I’ve expanded it to read, “Flexibility to set my daily schedule, and hold at least one day a week specifically for two (2) hours of education/learning, plus four (4) hours of writing and creativity.”
You might recognize this as habit-stacking, which is a fantastic tool discussed in the book, Atomic Habits. You might also observe that I made it quite specific, which is also key. Notice what I didn’t do. I didn’t start tackling any of the tactical “how to” details. Yet.
It’s important to write the goals to full completion. Challenge yourself. Get uncomfortable. Address your negative, dream stealing thoughts by asking yourself, “What would this goal look like if I knew I wouldn’t or couldn’t fail?”
Once you’ve finished the list, look for like items and group them together. Prioritize the list and see which five (5) rise to the top of the list. THESE are your goals of abundance. While all the goals you captured are clearly important to you, focus on these first.
Now, take a moment to check in. How do the goals align with your personal values? Chances are, they are directly related to your deepest personal, core values. If they aren’t, ask yourself, “Why not?” Are you truly identifying goals that are meaningful to you?
At this point, it’s time to tackle your action plan. Work the goal with the end in mind. What does success look like? Paint that picture in your mind and unleash the wisdom of your future self. This process allows your brain to trust itself, and actually tell you how you accomplish the goal. Yes, there might be some tactical steps that need more research or learning, but you still have enough information to formulate action steps.
Once you’ve taken a first pass at this exercise, check in with yourself to see how you feel. Are you excited about your goals? Do they feel powerful, aligned, and something you are motivated to accomplish?
Now go for it!
(For those interested in working through this exercise in more depth, with coach guidance, you can reach out to me directly at lynn.mulholland@truenorthstl.com)
