Goal Search – An exercise to set Goals you want to achieve

[DAY 39 OF THE DEEP END PROJECT]

I am a HUGE fan of the Book, The Artist’s Way. It’s a 12 Week “course” that unlocks Higher Creativity. 

I put course in air quotes because it’s not the kinda course we are used to. It’s a book with journal prompts and exercises that you do on a week-to-week basis. 

I mentioned a few blogs ago how I had been trying to do it for the last 2 years but I couldn’t get past Week 4. I re-committed to it back in April and I am on Week 10 now.

I can say this without a doubt that The Deep End Project was born out of The Artist’s Way. 

Today I want to share an exercise from one of the weeks. You know how in every book, there’ll be one thing that will stick out at you and be the most life giving?

This one is like that for me. After I did, everything; my business goals, my life goals, it all started to crystallize right in front of me.

I am gonna share it with you here and hope you’ll find it useful too. 

You may find the exercise difficult to do, allow yourself to do it anyway. Start to play around. Most answers come from play anyway.

The exercise is called the Goal Search.

Julia Cameron, the author says “the simple act of imagining a dream in concrete detail helps us to bring it into reality. Think of your goal search as a preliminary architect’s drawing for the life you wish to have.”

STEPS

1. Name your dream. Write it down, “In a perfect world, I would secretly love to be a ____________”

2. Name one concrete goal that signals to you it’s accomplishment. On your emotional compass, this goal signifies your true north.
   
   I found that the relative term here is “true north.” For example; if you want to be a writer, one person’s true north could be to be a published author and another’s could be to be a NYT Bestseller Author. On the surface these two people desire the same thing, but their True North could be different.

3. In a perfect world, where would you like to be in five years in relation to your dream and true north?

4. In the world, we inhibit now, what action can you take, this year, to move you closer?

5. What action can you take this month? This week? This day? Right now?

To recap, List your dream (I want to be a writer). List it’s True North (NYT Bestseller). Make an action plan. Five Years. Three Years. One Year. One month. One week. Now. Choose an action (let’s say, write 5 pages for my book)

 I did this for all my dreams and suddenly I wasn’t overwhelmed. I could clearly see what I need to do and what I need to stop (Instagram scrolling!).

I’d suggest listing all your Dreams down one by one and following the Steps above. 

Once you do, comment below and share your experience of doing the Goal Search exercise.