Brainstorm and Analyze.
Create lists of what motivates you, want you desire out of life, etc.
Write down words that describe your priorities. Ideas: Friendship, love, money, music, strength, confidence, generosity, admiration, nature, laughter, comfort, travel, family. Identify the areas that are most important and use them to guide your goals.
Write down what you want to achieve. If it helps, break the goals down into categories for different parts of your life. (Career, health, personal, etc.)
Ask yourself why you want to achieve a certain goal? What’s the underlying desire?
What resources can you list to help you achieve your goal? (Trainer, friends, books, classes, etc.) Write them down.
What investments (of time or money or anything else) do you need to make? Identify them.
Try to find a middle ground between setting too easy of a goal and too unattainable.
Leave fear out of the goal-setting process. It has no place in it.
Leave judgment out of goal-setting. You might be worried about what people think. Put your own thoughts of why you want to achieve the goal above all other opinions.
Do you have a goal that you think it’s too late for? Repeat this: It’s not too late! Write down reasons and ways it can still be achieved.
“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” -Lemony Snicket
Celebrate your successes and don’t beat yourself up about the failures. Try again. Adjust in areas where you didn’t hit your shorter-term goals, but keep working toward them.
When you’re feeling discouraged, think about times in your life that you overcame an obstacle. You can do this!
What’s the difference between setting a goal and an intention?
Goals | Intentions |
Relies on reasoning, logic. | Relies on emotion, comes from a place of love (not fear). |
Has a time frame. | Surrender to the process. |
Action plan is put in place. | Have faith. Believe in the magic/the universe. |
Manifesting/Intention setting:
I consider my journal and this blog a safe space. It’s an outlet that houses my dreams, adventures and thoughts. It’s a daily reminder that I am working toward my intention.
I recently read this quote: “What’s on your mind becomes what’s in your life. So think the thoughts you want to see.” (Karen Salmansohn)
Those words capture perfectly the process of manifestation:
- Set an intention. Visualize the end result. Meditate on it. Write it down. Feel it!
- Observe the signs. The universe is listening. You will notice signs everywhere that relate to your intention.
- Hold your intention. Default to happy, grateful thoughts. Act as though your intention has already come true. Keep imagining the outcome.
- Trust the process and realize your manifestation. Feel the gratitude and reinforce your trust in the process.
A few resources on goal-setting:
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- A search on Pinterest yields countless pins on goal-setting, along with many printables and checklists.
- The journal “Start Where You Are” by Meera Lee Patel is an illustrated workbook journal to help you work on goals and self-exploration.
- The book “The 52 Lists Project” was recently given to me as a gift, and it contains prompts for lists of everything from goals to your favorite things and things you want to add to your life. Creating lists and journaling can help you identify what you want your goals to be.
Related posts:
My Self-Care Goals for 2019
2019 Goals and Guiding Word

Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.