Four Tips to Writing Your Most Meaningful Goals Ever

What is it that you want in your life? What kind of opportunities do you want to attract? What do you want to let go of? What does your dream life look like, and how can you get there from your current reality? 

Pretty big questions, right? Luckily goal-writing is just one of the many visualization tools that we can use to create a ‘bridge,’ allowing us to journey from our current reality to the life of our dreams. When used correctly, goal-writing can be an incredibly powerful manifestation tool, so grab a pen and some sheets of paper and let’s get started!

1/ Write Your Goals in the Present Tense

When writing down your goals, make sure that they’re written in the present tense and begin with “I AM”. Avoid using “I will”, “I’m going to” or conditional phrases like “If I…” or “When I…”. 

Think of your subconscious mind as a good-intentioned but lazy teenager. If you write down something that you’re “going to do” or “will do”,  it might be tempting for your mind not to act on it, thinking that it’s something that can be postponed until later. 

However, if you write your goals in the present tense as though you’re already well on your way achieving them, your subconscious mind will race to play catch up to make them a reality. 

Examples: 

Instead of: “This year, I will get a job that pays twice my previous salary”, try: “I AM ready for a job that pays twice my previous salary” or “I AM  attracting a job with a salary that better reflects my worth”

Instead of: “I will lose weight”, try: “I AM making healthy substitutions in my diet, setting time aside for daily exercise, and enjoying my new, slimmer figure”

2/ Choose Positive Language Over Negative Language

Goals should always specify what it is you do want, not what it is you don’t want. 

If you load up on negative language, it’s very easy to make those words the focus, even by accident. It’s like that old saying - if someone tells you: “Don’t think about an elephant”, the first thing you’re immediately going to do is think about an elephant!

Examples: 

Instead of: “I’m no longer stuck in my boring, dead-end job”, try: “I AM working at a fulfilling, engaging job that has plenty of room for progression”

Instead of: “I’m not getting into relationships with people who waste my time and treat me like dirt”, try: “I AM enjoying being in the company of people who value my worth”

3/ Goals Have to Be Measurable and Testable

How can you know if you’ve achieved a resolution if there’s no checklist to check it against? Including specific numbers and values, deadlines, and exact criteria are helpful because they make the resolution more concrete. 

It also helps to avoid broad terms like “rich”, “happy” or “healthy” because these things can mean different things to different people. What “rich” looks like to a CEO already on a $5 million salary is very different from what it looks like to a student working a minimum wage job. Once again, be specific in what these things mean to you – it all comes down to the details. 

Examples:

Instead of: “I will be happy”, try: “I AM spending at least five hours of quality time with my family each week”

Instead of: “I am rich”, try: “I AM attracting  enough money each month to pay all my bills, add $500 to my savings, donate to charity, and treat myself to delicious restaurant meals and weekend trips away whenever I want”

4/ Make Sure Your Goals Are Worthwhile

These are your own personal goals for you and you alone. Ignore what goals you think you should be making, or what goals your friends, family, or even society would want you to make. 

If your heart isn’t really in your goals, you won’t have the passion needed to make them a reality. You’ll only end up with a sense of guilt over 1) not achieving them and 2) not even wanting to achieve them in the first place. 

Once you’ve written down your goals, read back over them. If you don’t feel that little spark deep inside you, you might need to rethink whether it’s right for you. 

Examples:

Instead of: “I AM married with a family with two kids”, try: “I AM surrounded by a family of my own choosing and travel the world and create unforgettable memories wherever I go”

Now that you know the rules, grab a pen and paper and write down your goals. Write them in order of priority, and don’t be afraid to think big!

With Love and Joy,

Dame Marie Diamond

Feng Shui Master and Best-selling Author

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