When it comes to goal setting, there are two time perspectives that matter: where you are now (current reality), and where you want to get (future vision). Goal setting has long been favoured as the means to focus your attention and efforts on realising what you desire for the future.

In coaching circles the most favoured methodology for goal setting is the SMART methodology: Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Realistic. Timely. The more specific you are in defining your desired outcome, the more you can attune your focus and your efforts to the realisation of your ideal.

Goal setting v goal getting

Setting well-defined goals is only the first step in the process. If you listen to Anthony Robbins not only will you have set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG), but you will know the key is to take “massive action”. Clearly, taking action is essential to realising what you desire. But is there another way?

Much of the “take massive action” movement is premised on the assumption that acts of will triumph over indecision and inaction. There is merit in that perspective. Indeed, you can achieve your goals by clearly defining what you want, formulating strategies to make those goals happen and taking action to achieve the goals. It has been this way for decades. It works for some.

Yet many people I have come across don’t set goals. They know they should but they don’t, or if they do, they don’t take the necessary action. It’s not like they don’t know what to do. Is it due to laziness or a lack of conviction?

The Tao v Protestant work ethic

I wasn’t raised a Protestant but somewhere in my Catholic education I did learn about the Protestant work ethic. Loosely translated, it meant you had to work hard to make a living. Maybe Anthony Robbins was a Protestant? Much to my relief I started exploring the Tao. You could imagine my joy when I discovered that the basic philosophy was one of ease and flow. It was the complete opposite of the Protestant work ethic. Instead of striving, struggling, triumphing with acts of will, taking massive action, and hairy goals, the Tao surmised that there was an innate balance and harmony to all things and they key was to simply find your flow. Even Esther Hicks, in her channellings through Abraham, describes this as The Art of Allowing.

Remove the blocks

Back to goal setting and goal getting. When it comes to this, it is important to define what you want. The key in shifting from an act of will to an affair of the heart is to let your heart guide your will. Acts of will have their place. What I am describing is the interplay between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind drives your motor functions. When programmed, it doesn’t engage in debate of the relative merits of what you are pursuing; it just goes about the business of whatever it is instructed to do.

In the massive action model, you program your subconscious mind through affirmations, visualisations and other mind-over-matter trickery. You engage neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques to alter the association and memories of past events. It is not unethical, nor is it immoral. Is it effective? Yes, it can be. Is it in accord with the Tao? Probably not.

For people who seek a path with heart, this is not the path. There is a model for goal-setting and goal-getting that has a heart. It is the way of the Tao, or as Rumi said: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.”

Here are three things to do today:

1. Still your mind. The key to heart-centred creating is not to alter the programming of your subconscious mind but to still your mind and enter your heart. The key is feeling, not thinking. In this manner you tap into your intuition. Your intuition is your gateway to infinite intelligence.

2. Dare to dream. The SMART acronym is a little misleading. The “R” for realistic is not the best way for you to create an outcome that you have not created before. You need an element of imagination. Be creative. Be imaginative.

3. Feel your way. Self-awareness is essential. Your physiology gives you constant clues. Tune into what you feel and honour yourself. And have some fun with it. Goal setting is best done when it is fun, creative, imaginative and free from day-to-day constraints.

Dennis Roberts helps small business owner/operators start, run and grow their business from conception to exit. He is available for strategic advice, business planning, one-on-one coaching/mentoring, advisory board, interim management and facilitation. Visit www.DennisRoberts.com.au.