Feeling Stuck? Set Intentions, Not Just Goals, to Re-Energize Your Wellbeing Journey

If you woke up on January 1st feeling fed up with life as normal, yet exhausted at the idea of setting new year's resolutions and goals, you are not alone! As we get older we can often find ourselves looking back at what we have done over the last 20+ years - and wondering if this is it - all life has to offer.

You might long for more adventure, new challenges, and pushing beyond your everyday comfort zones. But at the same time, the idea of major life changes can feel utterly exhausting. Where do you even start to make those desires a reality?

I’ve found that setting thoughtful goals or “intentions” is key to slowly shifting out of ruts and getting more rewarding experiences in life. But the standard advice around SMART goals can sometimes fall flat when what you most need is higher energy, inspiration, and connection to purpose.

The problem is most goal setting frameworks focus too much on measurable outcomes, timelines, and rigid adherence no matter what. This excessively results-driven approach fails to align goals with our emotions and deepest needs for wellbeing across all eight pillars: physical, mental, social, emotional, environmental, vocational, joyful, and financial.

So what’s the alternative if SMART goals aren’t sparking joy or purpose these days?

1. Set Intentions, Not Just Goals

Intentions are not quite the same as tangible goals or desired end results. Intentions connect more to your reasons why — the process rather than just the end product.

Some examples of intentions oriented toward adventure, challenging comfort zones, and renewed inspiration could include:

• I intend to seek out moments of natural beauty every week to lift my emotions.

• I intend to read something new that challenges my thinking to stimulate me intellectually.

• I intend to take one small risk outside my habits every day to expand my horizons.

See the difference? These help align activities to intrinsic motivations for wellbeing rather than listing a goal like “Go on three weekend hiking trips this month.”

Of course, turning intentions into actual adventures, outdoor time, and other acts of self-care still requires commitment and discipline. But framing the task as an intention connects it more deeply to what fuels you inside.

2. Ask Deeper Questions to Uncover Insights

Another way to reframe goal setting is to go a bit deeper with your questions, and look at what might happen if you set those goals. This can be done using questions that prompt self-reflection such as:

• What do I want to do?

• What do I not want to do?

• What can I do?

• What resources are available to me?

Let’s apply these to desiring more adventure:

• What do I want to do? Have new experiences that get me out of routines and push comfort zones.

• What do I not want to do? The same old weekend routines, household jobs, work projects.

• What can I do? Brainstorm new local places to explore now that seasons are changing, research retreats or classes to enrol in.

• What resources do I have? A free weekend coming up, airline points to use on a getaway.

See how much richer the possibilities feel when you approach goal setting as self-inquiry? The key is not forcing specific measurable goals but uncovering the nuggets of what would re-energize you right now.

3. Check In: How Do You Want to Feel?

As much as we naturally create goals around health, hobbies, and personal achievements, for sustained wellbeing we have to factor in energy levels and emotions too.

So last but not least, set some intentions around how would you like to feel once you start making positive changes:

• More grounded? Calmer? Present?

• Happier? Curious? Playful?

• Adventurous? Brave? Free?

Tune into the emotions that seem to be lacking lately, rather than only listing concrete destinations or accomplishments. Wellbeing means enjoying the journey, not just achieving the goal after all!

What Goal Setting Questions or Intentions Speak to You?

I hope reflecting on intentions versus goals, asking deeper questions, and checking in with your feelings gives you ideas on where to start reigniting your spark for adventure.

As you go through this process, give yourself patience and care. Building lasting positive changes often happens in incremental steps, small habits fuelling bigger transformation over time. But by setting intentions oriented to what makes you come alive, backed by self-inquiry, you build solid foundations to keep taking next steps on this winding path we call life.

The journey awaits. Where will you start?

Want some help with this? Hop on a free insight call. We can go through what goals you want to set and why, and we will also share ways we can work together beyond that if you are interested.