Psych Central/ 3 Creative Strategies for Identifying Your Most Important Goals

1. Visualize the life you want. Close your eyes and think about your ideal life, Eckerling said. “What does that look like?” To help you figure that out, she suggested journaling and meditating. In Your Goal Guide, Eckerling mentions using the Insight Timer app, which features over 25,000 free guided meditations. Give yourself a good chunk of time for this step. It might take you a week or even a month to come up with genuinely meaningful goals. (Or it might take 15 minutes.) Either way, allow yourself the space to linger, change your mind, and discover a goal that deeply resonates with you.
2. Pen different bios. Eckerling suggested creating a current biography and future biography, which “will give you an idea of where you are versus where you want to go.” For example, your current biography can include your accomplishments, experience, strengths, and values. If you’re stumped, in Your Goal Guide, Eckerling suggests asking your friends (e.g., how would you describe me to someone else?). For your future biography, you might compose three different versions: a bio one year from now, five years from now, and even 10 years from now.
3. Create a mission statement. According to Eckerling, your mission statement is who you are plus what you want. To create your statement, reflect on your motivation behind what you want, your special skills, and how you can use those skills to impact others. “Then, condense your mission statement into a short, snappy, and memorable motto. That’s the compass that keeps you focused on pursuing your goals.”

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