How to set goals to move forward in life? Because setting goals is essential if you want to take control of your life and live a day-to-day life that suits you and excites you. That said, setting goals isn’t always easy. Where to start? Which goals? How can we reach them? That’s why I’m sharing with you 6 things you absolutely must do when you decide to take back control of your life.

1 – How to set goals: dream your life

When was the last time you dreamt about your ideal professional life, your ideal love life?

It’s possible that it dates back to your childhood. The older we get, the less we’re allowed to dream. To dream big.

In other words, we were quickly asked to become reasonable. In fact, we were no longer asked to dream, but to make realistic choices, choices accepted by all.

In other words, we were invited at a very early age to fall into line, into the mold.

But today, if you ask yourself the question “How do I set goals?”, it means that you feel the need to take your life back into your own hands, to live a life that suits you and excites you.

That’s why the first thing to do is to get back on the path of your dreams.

What’s your dream life? Your ideal life. In all areas: professional, personal, love, social, passions, well-being, body…

In concrete terms, I invite you to take two 10-15 minute periods over the next few days to dream your life by asking yourself this question: “If I lived in an ideal world, in which I had all the resources and skills possible, what would my job, my family life, my personal life be like, what would my hobbies be?”

Take all the time you need, and above all, have fun dreaming about your ideal life, one that resembles only you and excites only you.

2 – Aim only for joy

It’s possible that the limiting beliefs you’ve inherited from childhood are deeply rooted in you, and that this has led you to dream of an ideal life that’s still very much in the mold.

In fact, if you look closely at your dream life, you may not be all that happy about it. As if it were the life and choices of someone else, someone reasonable who doesn’t want to disappoint those around him or her.

It’s only natural.

That’s why, in order to set goals, it’s essential to do a second thing: aim for your joy!

In other words, if you don’t get butterflies in your stomach when you think about your dream life, your goals, if they don’t bring you joy, it’s because you need to allow yourself to dream according to your tastes and desires. To forget for a moment your surroundings and your own fears.

Because if you want to achieve a goal, it has to make you happy. Otherwise, you won’t do what you have to do to reach it. You’ll procrastinate, then give up.

3 – Use a 3-point method to set goals

Let’s imagine that the goal you’re most excited about right now is to be more zen, and you realize that you don’t really know what to do about it. How can you achieve it?

In other words, you have to learn to set goals, but not just any old way.

That’s why I invite you to answer 3 questions:

How will I know when I’ve reached my goal? In other words, how would I know if I were more zen?
What action would help me reach my goal as quickly and happily as possible? From the example: we could choose meditation, yoga, psychotherapy, sophrology…
Then, how often and for how long will I implement the action chosen above to reach my goal by such and such a date? According to the example, this could be 2 yoga sessions a week for 3 months.
Then, to set goals and achieve them, it’s essential to realize that we move forward in stages.

In other words, we’re going to implement an initial action for a certain period of time, then take stock and adjust as necessary until we reach the final objective.

4 – Having fun

Because we’re not going to reach our goal by snapping our fingers, and we’re going to be confronted with obstacles on a regular basis, it’s essential to set goals and allow ourselves to have fun.

Indeed, if we go back to our example of being more zen and go to yoga twice a week, putting a lot of pressure on ourselves, it’s quite possible that we’ll end up burning out and giving up.

But what does it mean to have fun?

It means we can regularly change the way we do things.

For example, instead of doing our 2 yoga sessions in the same place, week after week, which is likely to bore us in the long run, we can from time to time do a session outdoors, at home, with the family.

We can replace the yoga session with a meditation or sophrology session…

In fact, the aim is to have fun along the way.

And that’s no easy task, since we’ve been told since school that we’re not here to have fun, that life is serious…

But when you see our sense of happiness and well-being today, you can’t help but question some of the things we’ve learned (laughs).

So, I invite you to try a new way of approaching your goals. Have fun!

5 – Be proud of yourself

Why set goals? Of course, to get ahead in life, but not only that…

We also do it to feel good about ourselves.

Because on a day-to-day basis, we don’t always have the opportunity to feel proud of ourselves. In fact, the opposite is often true: we only see our mistakes, our clumsiness. We judge and criticize ourselves.

In other words, having goals boosts self-confidence and self-esteem.

That’s why, when we set ourselves goals, it’s essential to realize that we’re doing it to feel proud of ourselves, and to remind ourselves of this day after day.

In concrete terms, I invite you to say to yourself every day: “I, [first name last name], am proud of myself, because [your goal].”

6 – How to set goals: free yourself from the stakes

To set and achieve goals, there’s one last essential thing to do: free yourself from the stakes.

So, what does it mean to free ourselves from the stakes? It means being able to take our eyes off the end goal and return to the present moment and the small steps we take to reach our goal, step by step.

In this way, we return to serenity.

Secondly, it also means that we don’t fall into the trap of “I’ll be happy when…”.

Because, often, when we have a goal, we put pressure on ourselves and believe that our life is only worth living if we reach our goal. And even worse, it’s only worth living once we’ve achieved it.

In other words, our present life isn’t worth living.

I urge you not to fall into this trap, to set yourself a goal that makes you happy, but to remember that your present is the only place in which you live, and to put as much joy as possible into it.

In fact, don’t wait to reach your goal to live, to be happy.

Your happiness and well-being are unconditional.

In the end, setting goals is simply a way of moving forward in one direction as happily as possible.

This isn’t to make us think that our lives aren’t good enough today to be appreciated. Quite the contrary, in fact.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to stay motivated in autumn: 9 joyful goals to set yourself
Discover What to do with your life: 10 powerful goals for moving forward

I recommend this inspiring book:

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran
Brian Moran’s book presents a focused approach to goal setting, emphasizing the effectiveness of shorter timeframes in achieving meaningful results. By condensing goals into 12-week periods, the book provides a strategic framework for increasing productivity and goal achievement. This is a practical guide for those seeking a dynamic, accelerated method for setting and achieving meaningful goals in various aspects of their lives.

It’s an amazing read that I thoroughly enjoyed and learned from. I will recommend it to everyone. Very clear and direct.
Read it, put it into practice.
Stop talking about changing your life and do it!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself