Stop setting goals and start celebrating & intending with your spirit guides instead

Stop setting goals and start celebrating and intending with your spirit guides instead

Have you ever sat down and made a list of goals? Then a few weeks later, you find the list and instantly feel depressed when you realize you've been working every day but not towards any of the goals on your list? I've done this many times.

Goal setting used to be one of my favorite things to do. I know that goal setting can work. I know there are specific ways you can create your goals so that you stay clear and focused. I'm thinking, for example, of S.M.A.R.T. goals. I actually enjoy mapping out goals and breaking them down into micro-steps that are achievable. S.M.A.R.T. goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound make sense.

Over the last few years, however, I stopped setting goals. And, I don't plan on setting any new ones again. Here's why...

During the 5 years I was actively caring for my father-in-law who suffers from dementia, I had a lot of trouble sticking to a schedule with my goals. I was really hard on myself when I didn't meet any of my business goals.

During those same 5 years when my business didn't grow as fast as I wanted, my emotional and spiritual understanding of myself was expanding daily. I started communicating regularly with my spirit guides. I could ask for help and get answers. I knew I was shifting.

Where was the disconnect? How could I feel like I was in high-speed evolution spiritually yet feel like my business growth was stuck in low gear?

One of my business mentors encouraged me to take a few minutes and write down anything I had done during the previous month to move my business forward. We were on a call without video so she didn't see me roll my eyes.

I didn't think the writing exercise would lead to anything.

After the call with my coach ended, I started a list. It took me a while to remember, but before long, I was surprised by how long my list became. I HAD taken a lot of little steps to move my business forward. And, instead of feeling bad about my lack of progress, I felt excited. I wanted to do more.

The exercise my coach made me do was similar to one of my monthly routines. On the morning of the new moon, I always took a few minutes to look over the past month, celebrate the wins, give thanks for any help I received from my spirit guides, and then set an intention for the upcoming month. Whenever the next new moon arrived, I was always surprised by how much I'd moved forward in my life.

If my new moon routine worked on a monthly basis, why wasn't I doing it weekly or even daily?! And more importantly, why wasn't I applying it to my business?

From then on, I started celebrating whatever little thing I moved forward and then focused on what I was intending to do next. That's the key for me. I don't to aim for something big, or even small. Instead, I'm bringing light to whatever I'm currently tending to in my life.

I know, you're probably thinking it sounds a lot like goal setting. Maybe it is, but because I'm coming at it from a different perspective, it works for me.

Here's my process:

  1. Make a note of everything I've moved forward, and celebrate it.
  2. Make a note and give thanks for any help, seen or unseen, that I've had.
  3. Make a note of anything I'm currently tending to in my life.
  4. Make a note of anything I would like help with, especially from my spirit guides

I've been using this process during my new moon rituals every month. I also use it once a week before talking with my accountability partner.

When I told my friend about it, she suggested that I share the process with others. And, so I did!

You can now buy Celebrating and Intending: a daily practice - A notebook for reflecting on daily wins & setting new intentions with your spirit guides on Amazon.

Now I use my journals and follow the process four or five days a week. Of course, you can follow this process with any blank notebook, which is what I did for a long time. You'll want to use one of my journals if:

  • You want something to remind you of all four steps.
  • You want something small that will fit in your bag or on the side of your desk.
  • You don't want anything with a spiral because things get caught in the spiral when you put them in your bag.
  • You want something you can easily recycle or shred when your finished

What about our planet? Did you really need to publish a journal?

Putting another product out there in the world that relies on paper will have an impact on our Earth. (Did you know that my degree was in Environmental Education?) I couldn't sell a journal or any book without also making sure I was giving back to the cycle of life for our trees. For every book, journal, or workbook I sell, I'm committed to planting one tree. I partnered with One Tree Planted so that I can keep my 1 Book = 1 Tree promise.

Where can I buy your journals?

You can get the journals on Amazon.com or any of the other Amazon marketplaces.

If you're in Japan, for example, be sure to purchase it from Amazon.co.jp and it will arrive with 1-2 days.

About the Author:

Hi! I'm Marci. I have a dedicated spiritual practice, enjoy studying alternative-healing modalities, cooking a whole-foods flexitarian diet, and exploring Japan, where I've lived for 30 years. Learn more about my workbooks for kids, and journals for adults. Also, look for my upcoming memoir Otosan, which chronicles the five years I cared for my father-in-law, a WWII Japanese war veteran, as he navigates Alzheimer’s.

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