By: Lisa Solomon

Every year, we set out to determine our annual goals and put them down on paper, and every year we share our Goal Setting Workbook to help others do the same. Have you set your goals for the year? Are you struggling to figure out what you want to accomplish?

While we set out to create results, I had an epiphany; although I love to be productive and work towards a result, that does not necessarily mean I will feel emotionally charged or even happy with the work that I am doing to achieve that goal. What if at the end of the year you hit all your goals but you don’t feel differently? What was the point? Life is too short to not feel fulfilled through your actions. This year we took a new approach and created emotional goals focused around how you feel. I believe that if you make a decision based on how you feel, you’ll meet your goal with intention and ultimately become emotionally healthy.   

For some inspiration, here are my emotional goals for 2022:  

Passionate 
Time is precious and I don’t want to waste it doing things I am not passionate about. My goal this year is to pursue my passions through things that drive me forward, make me happy, and encourage action. Passion is a positive and intense feeling that I find meaningful and a core to my being. The French Philosopher Denis Diderot once said, “Passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things”.  If you’re true to your passion, successful results will follow.

Liberated
This year I’m freeing myself from the past and opening up to create a future where I am not bound by expectations. I want to break free from the labels placed on me and also be liberated by knowledge to break free from the labels I place on others.  This requires self assessments as I make decisions to see if I am doing something or thinking something about myself or others based on stereotypes, labels, or perspectives that no longer serve me.

Athletic
I have enjoyed being active but this year and I want to go a step further and pursue activities that are more sports oriented.  Whether you win or lose, you learn something new!  In particular I am enjoying the competition with others through beach volleyball and the competition with myself through golf.

Need some help finding the emotions you want to create in 2022 and beyond? We have put together a complete Positive Emotion Finder for you. Choose what words resonate with you and write them down, then pick 3 – 6 emotional goals. As you go through the year, ask yourself: is this decision going to make me feel positive emotions?

If feeling positive emotions through reaching your goals is a priority for you, check out these 5 Simple Things You Can Do to Be Happy Right Now to give you a little boost!  Want to lead with more empathy and happiness this year? We’ve got courses for that. Don’t miss out on our Empathetic Leadership with Tim Spengler and Cultivating Happiness with Felicia Zigman.