I’ve decided not to set any goals for 2018. You read that right. Not a single one.

I’m ready to try something different. Instead of setting goals with action plans, timelines and deadlines, I’m taking a new approach:

I’m not setting goals. I’m setting intentions based on how I want to feel.

I was first introduced to this concept from Danielle LaPorte’s bestseller, The Desire Map. I’ll admit, I never finished the book, but the main premise has always stuck with me. Identify your core desired feelings and set yearly intentions that support them.

I love this idea. It makes perfect sense. What’s the point of setting goals, really? Why do you want to exercise five nights a week? Why do you want to make a certain income or get a certain job? Why do you want to travel to that country on your bucket list? It’s because deep down you think that by achieving that specific thing, you’ll feel differently than you do now. You set goals and dream things up because you think they’ll make you feel a certain way.

Goals are a means to an end. And the end is how you want to feel.

If that’s what we’re after, why not focus on that in the first place?

When the New Year rolls around, many of us ask ourselves the question, What do I want to accomplish this year? What if, instead, we asked ourselves, How do I want to feel this year?

How do I want to feel while running my business?

How do I want to feel in my marriage?

How do I want to feel in relationships with family and friends?

How do I want to feel in relation to health and wellness?

How do I want to feel in relation to my spiritual life?

The answers to these questions become the foundation upon which all of your decisions and actions are made day by day. Let’s say I decide that at my core I want to feel joy, peace, and radiance. Instead of setting specific goals, I simply intend to do things that align with joy, peace, and radiance.

I intend to only offer services that bring me joy and serve others. If one of my services no longer brings me joy, I take actions to phase it out at a pace that feels right.

I intend to take care of my body in a way that is self-loving, gives me strength, and leads to excellent health and vitality. Some days this might look like an hour-long vigorous workout. Other days it might mean taking a hot, relaxing bubble bath. There is no set plan that tells me what I must do.

I intend to regularly take classes that nourish my spirit and lead to friendships with like-minded people. Which classes will they be? I don’t know yet, but I’ll sign up when I discover ones that speak to me.

Setting intentions, rather than specific goals, keeps the door wide open for aligned opportunities to present themselves. As Danielle puts it, “Stay anchored to the desired feeling, and open to the form in which it manifests.”

I’m all for letting the magic unfold. We cannot predict what is just around the corner. Setting intentions rather than goals gives you flexibility to change course, try new things, and be in the moment. This is why I’m shelving all goals for 2018. I’m curious to see how this how do I want to feel? approach differs and what sort of fun it will lead to. Care to join me?