Setting Goals vs Intentions - Take Control in 2024

Listen to our live discussion below!

What is your “Why?” This question found me during high school in my time dancing with Project D Dance Company. It served as a guardrail along the lane toward our deepest passions, from which attainable and intentional goals could be achieved.

In my collegiate years I would set goals that led to unsatisfactory results. I realized this was because the goals weren’t rooted in authentic intention. They weren’t coming from my “Why.” 

Now, I've learned that setting intentions & setting goals are two different things. An intention anchors you with clarity while a goal motivates & propels you toward a tangible outcome.

As 2024 sets over us, I find this question greeting me again and I feel called to offer it to all of you. So, what is your “Why,” and how can you nurture your greatest passions with intentional goal setting this year? Here's my 5-part approach:

Reflect

Think back to transformative moments. Think as far back as childhood.  Find stillness & let your mind wander to early memories that cemented your purpose.

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Ask yourself stimulating questions. Here are some examples:

When, where, why, & how did you fall in love with your passion for the first time?

What pulled you in and kept you hooked on your craft?

What is your purpose in this lifetime?

How can your passion align with your mission?

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Making time to ask yourself important/challenging questions is important.

Self-awareness is key.

Celebrate

We don’t give ourselves permission to do this often enough… Celebrate all the wins you reflect on! Look through journals, photos, & posts to see how far you’ve come.

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Document notable stats to quantify your success in a tangible way (i.e I taught 7 classes with over 50 attendees!)

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Documenting stats can also help you set reasonable goals for the year ahead.

Brain Dump

Once you've revisited your roots & calculated your progress, intentionally envision all of the goals you'd like to accomplish in this lifetime.

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Try this exercise to organize your ideas

Brain dump all of your goals into one place so you can clearly see them

Once finished, look through the list & notice any patterns

Pick only 5 items & focus on these first

Create a timeline for your goal & review your progress

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Timeline

Put a timeline on your goals to hold yourself accountable.

Be diligent, but remain flexible with expectations - some task lengths are unpredictable.

This skill gets better with practice. The more timelines you create, the more experience & data you gather to help you become more accurate in the future.

x2 on the intentions pls!!

Your goals already came from an intentional place.

Now, match that by setting intentions for how you desire to show up & achieve them. (i.e I will book 3 major performances this year, with patient gratitude) Your intention becomes your tangible “how” to balance out the rest of the universe’s mystery 

With these tips, start setting your intentions for the rest of the year. Remember, you are moving in divine timing as the universe intends for you. What is for you will always be for you. Take your time, explore your mind, & distinguish your “Why” from an intentional place.