How Goalsetting Solutions can Smooth Out the Bumps on Your Healing Journey

 

How Goalsetting Solutions can Smooth Out the Bumps on Your Healing Journey

How do you get from where you are right now, to where you want to be?

The key to getting there is a life-changing principle that’ll increase the success you have in life, as well as the level of happiness you enjoy each day.

Goalsetting is the process of identifying something you want to achieve and creating a step-by-step action plan to reach it.

Goals are clear intentions or desired outcomes that you want to achieve in your life, or steps you’ll take to create positive change. 

Our goals provide us with a sense of direction, focus, and motivation.  

In life, and especially if you’re healing from past trauma and emotional pain, setting goals gives you a distinct sense of clarity, purpose and direction, something to strive for, targets to aim for.

When you set goals for yourself and set up your day, your week and your month to achieve them, you’ll begin to live your life with intention and direction – a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Goalsetting helps you move forward with the intention, instead of staying stuck and paralyzed, finding yourself in the same place year after year.

If you’re recovering from emotional turmoil or trauma, setting healing goals like building confidence, setting boundaries, or creating healthier habits – and then, taking action to make those improvements in your life, you’ll begin to take back control, and live more purposefully.

Having goals and striving to achieve them doesn’t mean you have to be focused on being perfect. Living a purpose-driven life that’s centered around your life goals and intentions means progressing consistently toward the achievement of those objectives.

Think ‘Progress. Not Perfection.’

If you’re just starting out with making goal-setting a part of your life or living more intentionally, you’ll want to first aim for small, achievable goals that bring clarity, motivation, and a sense of achievement as you progress toward the bigger mountaintop goals.

You absolutely can create a life filled with peace, love, and joy.

Here are some examples of Big Life Goals that you may want to strive for:

·       Creating A Healthy, Holistic Lifestyle

·       Creating Lasting, Rewarding Relationships

·       Becoming Entirely Debt Free

·       Having a Profession or Business You Love

·       Finding a Happiness Balance – Developing personally and professionally

Here are some examples of Healing Goals you may want to consider when you’re putting together your plans:

·       Emotional Boundaries

Goal: Protect your emotional well-being.
Boundary Example:
“I will no longer allow others to guilt me into doing things that don't feel right. I will say ‘no’ without overexplaining.

·       Time Boundaries

Goal: Make space for rest and self-care.
Boundary Example:
“I will not overbook my week. I will block out time in my calendar just for me to rest, reflect, or do something I enjoy.”

·       Energy Boundaries

Goal: Prioritize healing and personal growth.
Boundary Example:
“I will limit time spent with people who drain my energy or always bring negativity. I need space to heal and grow.”

·       Communication Boundaries

Goal: Use your voice and speak your truth.
Boundary Example:
“If a conversation becomes hurtful or disrespectful, I will pause or leave it. I deserve to be spoken to with kindness.”

·       Personal Space Boundaries

Goal: Reclaim control over your body and space.
Boundary Example:
“I will only allow people into my home or personal space who respect my comfort level and bring peace.”

By setting boundaries like the ones outlined above as part of your healing goals, you're actively choosing self-respect, safety, and emotional clarity, all of which are essential to long-term growth and freedom from the past.

Why Goal Setting Matters in Healing
Healing from past obstacles, whether emotional pain, trauma, or setbacks, requires intention.  Sweeping things under the rug and not working through them only leaves the hurt and pain to fester in your subconscious – and cause even more damage there. 

That’s where goalsetting becomes powerful.

Begin by asking yourself, “What kind of life do I truly want?”

If you want more peace in your life, for example, you might set a goal to start each morning with five minutes of quite reflection or journaling. 

If you want to be more healthy and fit, or shed some excess weight, you might want to set a goal to incorporate more physical movement into each day, cut out late-night snacking, reduce processed foods and avoid sugar and empty calories.

Goals help us shift focus from what hurt us to what can heal us.

Goalsetting (setting targets you strive to reach) offers a clear path forward

When we set goals, we give our healing, and our life for that matter, a focused, clear direction, rather than remaining eternally stuck in survival mode. 

Setting small, intentional goals helps shift your focus from pain to purpose.

 

 

Setting Meaningful, Healing-Centered Goals
If goalsetting is a new success strategy you’re employing, start small.

Begin with goals that support your emotional well-being, not simply your overall health or productivity at work.  An example might be “Say ‘no’ without feeling guilty” or “practice self-compassion daily.”

Break down each goal into smaller steps.  Ask yourself – what steps will it take to make this a regular practice in my life?  Maybe it’s journaling for a few minutes each day to set your intentions.  Maybe it’s speaking with a trusted friend or even a trained professional to guide you.  

Incorporate goalsetting tools like setting up SMARTER goals for yourself – are they Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluate, and Readjust

Whatever it takes to keep you motivated and excited about where you’re headed – utilize all the solutions, tools and strategies to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

Here is an outline of how to set up SMARTER Goals for yourself: 

·       S – Specific

Your goal should be clear and focused.
Ask: What exactly do I want to accomplish?

Example:
Instead of saying, “I want to feel better,” say, “I want to reduce my anxiety by practicing breathing exercises every day in the morning before I begin the day and each night as I go to sleep.”

·       M – Measurable

You should be able to track your progress.
Ask: How will I know I’m making progress?

Example:
“I will journal my anxiety levels every night for 2 weeks to see if breathing exercises are helping.”

·       A – Achievable

Your goal should be realistic and within your reach, based on your current resources and mindset.
Ask: Is this something I can realistically do right now?

Example:
“I will start with 5 minutes of deep breathing each morning instead of trying to meditate for 30 minutes right away.”

·       R – Relevant

The goal should align with what you want to accomplish for yourself and possibly, your healing journey. They should matter to you.
Ask: Does this goal support my emotional growth and healing?

Example:
“Yes, reducing anxiety helps me feel more in control and less overwhelmed, which supports my healing.”

·       T – Time-Bound

Set a deadline or timeframe to stay motivated.
Ask: By when do I want to achieve this?

Example:
“I will practice daily breathing exercises for the next 30 days and review how I feel at the end of the month.”

·       E – Evaluate
Take time to check in with yourself regularly—emotionally, mentally, and physically. This isn't just about checking numbers or ticking boxes—it's about asking deeper questions.

Ask: Is this working? How do I feel? What’s going well or not?

Example: "Every Sunday, I’ll check in with myself to see how I did."

·       R – Readjust

Readjust means giving yourself permission to pivot without guilt. It’s about realigning your goals with your current needs, energy, emotional state, or life circumstances—because growth isn’t always a straight line. Healing, progress, or change might not look the way you first imagined—and that’s okay.

Ask: What can I improve or change if something isn’t working?
Example: "If walking every day feels too much, I’ll reduce it to 3 times and build from there."

This method gives your goalsetting structure, clarity, and a very specific framework, helping you take steady steps forward.

Celebrate the Small Wins Along the Way   

Healing doesn’t happen overnight. 

It is made up of small wins that deserve to be recognized. 

Celebrate when you stand up for yourself, speak kindly to or treat yourself with grace, or choose peace over chaos.  Write a positive saying like “I love you. You are an amazing creature, a unique blessing to this world!”

·       Be specific in creating your intentions, and in your positive self-talk. 

·       What are your unique strengths and gifts – put it in the reason WHY you love yourself.  

·       Post your unique positive statements to yourself about yourself where you will see them and repeat them to yourself throughout the day and whenever you need a pick-me-up. 

You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll be feeling about yourself after just a month.

When healing goals are part of your daily life, take the time to build habits that support long-term growth, and your own self-care. It’s important to thoughtfully set boundaries.  Carve out time for yourself to rest and rejuvenate, that’s all part of healing your mind, body and your soul too.

These small shifts can improve your confidence, reduce your anxiety, and help you respond to life with clarity rather than reactivity. Over time, you’ll find that you feel more empowered and less overwhelmed. 

Your healthy living goals represent your commitment to your own personal growth. 

The act of goalsetting (setting your targets and creating an action plan – the steps you’ll take to achieve your goals) allows you to take conscious action on your healing journey, helps you move forward in confidence and positivity and create healthier habits.

Top of FormWhether they’re big dreams you’re striving to fulfil, or if your aim is simply to take small daily steps forward, your goals aren’t just tasks to compete or jobs to do. 

Pursuing your goals help turn your thoughts into action and lays the foundation upon which you can build the life you truly want for yourself.  Your goals, and the art of goalsetting, and then chasing them down is an act of self-love and a commitment to your hearts’ desire.    

My Gift For You 

If you’d like some personalized guidance on Your Healing Journey or some help creating an inspired Action Plan based on your goals, intentions and desires, I’d love to chat.

Please reach out to me privately at  trishosborne55@gmail.com or find me on  https://www.facebook.com/yourhealingjourneytrishosborne  to schedule a complimentary session.

' Your Healing Journey' Breakthrough Call.

This is a free call and there’s now obligation for us to work together. We’ll discuss your unique circumstances and what you'd like to overcome and achieve by the end of our time together, you’ll have:

1.    Crystal Clarity with simple steps and solutions

2.    Tools and resources to help you move forward confidently

3.    A customized Action Plan designed just for you – what to do next to help you on your journey to wellness and healing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trish Osborne is a certified Integrative Life Coach, Founder of Your Healing Journey and the Host of a forever -free Facebook Community of the same name.

It's her mission to help women leave past hurts and traumas in the dust (where they belong), recover from their pain, boldly embrace their unique talents and gifts, and design the life they truly desire - one full of passion and purpose, confidence and freedom. 

With a proven, step-by-step process to recovery and life success, Trish offer you a customized coaching experience designed with each individual client collaboratively and with holistic approach to healing the mind, body and the soul too.