Coffee Thoughts
‘Tis the season to be jolly and to think about New Year’s resolutions—starting a new workout routine, learning to play an instrument, making a career change.
But for so many of us, setting New Year’s resolutions can feel demoralizing.
Committing to a goal for self-improvement, devising a step-by-step plan, but then quickly losing all motivation… When that happens, we end up beating ourselves up for not being able to stick to our goals. Time lost, efforts wasted. Only frustration remains.
There’s a fundamental flaw in how we approach goal setting.
The problem is that most people spend all of their time thinking about the outcome. Focusing on the outcome alone means we’re bound to fail the moment we get bored or decide to try something else entirely.
A more sustainable way to set goals would be to focus on your emotions. The idea here is to commit to the general direction for the coming year based on how you want to feel.
You start by developing a clear idea of what you want to achieve. But then, you do something different.
You imagine what you’d feel when you reach that particular goal.
How does it feel to achieve your goal? What sensations do you have in your body? What are you saying out loud in that moment?
The magic happens when you tap into those feelings. You release the desire to achieve a particular outcome and focus instead on how you want to feel.
This approach can reveal what you want deep down, going beyond a concrete goal. Instead of being your destination, your goal becomes a road sign, directing you to a specific direction along a certain path.
When you focus on emotions, not the outcome, you’ll realize that there are countless ways to get there.
That means you won’t get wrapped up in getting particular results. You won’t be stressed about reaching a goal by a specific deadline. Even if you change your mind, you won’t be back at square one.
You’ll still have a clear direction to move towards, because you’ll know exactly what you’re after. Keeping your eyes on the horizon, you might even find unexpected shortcuts along the way.
It’s not the goal that matters. It’s the direction that matters.
Guided Introspection
Taking the time to think about what you actually want—it’s something that many of us don’t get to do often.
But creating the life you want doesn’t happen by accident. If you figure out what you want to focus on next year, you’ll be surprised by how much of a head start you’ll get in January.
Take a moment to envision how you want your year to look like.
How do you want to feel at the end of 2025?
Take it easy,
Anna Foucault