Why Vision Casting Always Wins Over Goal Setting

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Today on the podcast, we're talking about the difference between your goals and having a vision behind your goals. I'm going to offer you 4 ways to reframe your goals into a vision and then offer some questions to help you do that on your own.

If you've been someone that has struggled with goal setting in the past, maybe you set goals, but your motivation on them wanes after just a couple of weeks, maybe you like the idea of goal setting or New Year's resolutions, but it just is hard for you to actually keep them - then this is your podcast. 

Topics in this episode:

  • The key difference between goals and vision - and why it matters. 

  • How to turn fleeting goals into a lasting, motivating vision. 

  • Four reflective questions to align your goals with your purpose. 

  • Reframing common goals like health, parenting, and work-life balance. 

  • The story and intentional process behind my word of the year, "Elevate." 

Show Notes & References:

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Transcript

Intro

When it comes to setting and meeting your goals, there's a phrase that I like to use with my clients, and it goes like this. When the energy behind why you want your goals feel stronger than the discomfort of going after it, then you'll do it.

In other words, when your goals feel grounded in purpose and vision, achieving your goals is gonna get a whole lot easier.

So today on the podcast, we're talking about the difference between just your goals and having a vision behind your goals. I'm going to offer you 4 ways to reframe your goals into a vision and then offer some questions to help you do that on your own. If you've been someone that has struggled with goal setting in the past, maybe you set goals, but your motivation on them wanes after just a couple of weeks. Maybe you like the idea of goal setting or New Year's resolutions, but it just is hard for you to actually keep them. This is your podcast. Are you ready? Let's get to it.

Welcome to the Ambitious and Balanced Working Moms Podcast, your go to resource for integrating your career ambitions with life as a mom. I'm distilling down thousands of coaching conversations I've had with working moms just like you, along with my own personal experience as a mom of two and sharing the most effective tools and strategies to help you quickly feel calm, confident, and in control of your ambitious working mom life. You ready? Let's get to it.

A New Year, No Word of the Year?

Hello, hello, working moms. This is the first podcast episode that I am recording in the new year and I am so fired up about it. I just want to jump right into today's topic. We're just going to jump right in.

I'm not much of a New Year's resolution type of person. I'm not a New Year's goals type of person. I really never have been. Now, I do select a word of the year though, every year. I've done that for over 20 years. It's a really important practice of mine that brings a lot of intentionality to my year.

I actually did a podcast episode on this last year around this time. I think it's called How to Select Your Word of the Year and you could go back and listen to that episode. I'll also link to that in the show notes if you're interested in hearing more about that particular practice.

But here's the thing about this year. January 1st came along and I didn't have a word. I've literally had a word for the last 20—I think 22—years that I've done this. But I didn’t have a word.

When the Word Doesn’t Come

My words tend to, like, come to me in the last four to six weeks out of the year. I would say, literally I just hear the word somehow. I hear somebody say it, I read it, I don’t know, it just jumps out to me.

And I'm like, oh, that's my word for the year. And then I usually have to go to my journal or talk it out with my husband or something like that, where I'm like: I heard this word and here's why I think it really stands out to me. This is what I think it means to me. This is why I think I want it to be my word of the year.

And then I kind of process through it, but it literally feels like something magical that comes to me. But January 1st came along this year and nothing had happened. There was just silence in my head around it. It just didn’t happen.

So I had to actually put intention into coming up with a word of the year this year.

Intentional Reflection to Find My Word

I took several hours in the first week of January. I got out my journal and pen, I popped in some earbuds, I went out to the water to stare at it and be reflective. And I put some intention behind selecting my word of the year this year.

Now, the questions that I reflected on during this time were this: What do I want to be different by the end of this year? By 2025, at the end of 2025?

Other ways I could have reframed that question would have been things like: What results do I want to achieve this year? How do I want to feel at the end of the year?

Vision Casting vs. Goal Setting

Now, I want you to notice something really important about this line of questioning. These questions are vision casting questions, right? They're questions that make your brain think further ahead and see things in the future that you want to take place.

And it's vital for you to create a passionate, ambitious, regret-free life to actually vision cast for yourself. If you don't want to look back at this season of your life and wonder if you settled or should have done something different, you have to be tapping into your vision of things—not just your goals.

Goals are practical. They're the habits. They're the rhythms that you have to commit to in order to produce the result you want. That's what a goal is.

Vision taps into the reason why you want those goals to happen in the first place. Vision taps into the motivation behind the goals. It taps into how the goals fit into a bigger picture that you want to be creating for your life.

Vision taps into who you want to be—or need to be—in order to reach the goals that you set for yourself.

“Goals Are the Stepping Stones Toward a Vision”

Another way of saying this is: goals are like the stepping stones that lay a path toward a vision.

But I find that a lot of people skip over vision casting. They don’t cast vision for themselves. They don’t take the time to really consider what the bigger vision is.

And because of that, their goals don’t feel very rooted in purpose. They feel sort of based in a fleeting moment, or in a season, or in an emotion.

This is why a lot of goals and resolutions fail at the beginning of the year, right? Because they're short-lived. It's not actually easy to maintain goals or resolutions if there isn't a bigger vision behind it.

Why Most Goals Fail Without Vision

So if you've been traditionally someone who has struggled to set and keep moving toward goals—or to set resolutions and actually keep to them—if you just find that goal setting is particularly challenging for you, I almost guarantee this is the reason. Or at least it’s a big part of the reason: you lack vision.

So I want to take this time in this podcast episode to give you a few examples: the difference between a goal you may set—common goals that a lot of my clients like to set or come to me to set—and the difference between that and setting a vision, or what a vision behind each of those goals might look like.

And as I'm going through these goals, I want you to actually consider what feels different about how I'm framing the vision versus the goal. I want you to consider the energy behind the vision and how it differs from the goal.

As I go through these four very common goals that tend to get set at the beginning of the year—really any time of year.

Health Goals: “It’s More Than Just Losing Weight”

All right, so the first goal is to lose weight. Or we might just reframe that as simply working out more, right? Depending on how you like to think about it.

Very typical goal. It's the most common New Year’s resolution. Some sort of health goal is the most common resolution. I bet you have some similar type of goal.

And even as you're listening to this podcast episode in the middle of January, whether you've held to that goal or not, you probably still have a little sense of: I have some health goals. I want to lose some weight. I want to do something physically with my body.

I had a client that told me, I just want to move more. Right? These are health-related goals.

But the vision behind losing weight, or working out more, or whatever that health goal is for you—however you frame it—the vision behind that is not just about losing weight. It's about looking at yourself in the mirror and loving the way you look.

It's about opening up your closet and feeling excited and connected to all the clothes you see hanging there because all of them fit your body really well and you look really good in them.

It’s about traveling the world until you're 80 or 90 years old because you're steady on your feet and your heart feels good. And so why not? Maybe it's even about your ability to kick a soccer ball around or throw a football with your grandchildren because you're still so active and strong.

Can you feel the difference? It's so much more than just losing weight or working out.

Parenting Goals: “It’s Not Just About Not Yelling”

Another common goal that I hear is to not yell or get so frustrated at your kids.

And this one makes sense to all of us. Nobody likes to yell at their kids. Everybody wishes that they could remain more calm and not get so frustrated.

But the vision behind this is so much more. It's not just about not yelling. It's about being an active listener to your kids, even at the age of one or two or three when they barely have the words to communicate.

It's about being their biggest champion and feeling so attuned to their needs that you know what they need and can anticipate it before they even ask.

It’s about having a relationship, as they get older, where you sit in bed and listen to their anxieties and worries without any judgment—without feeling the need to fix them—because they feel so safe to talk to you, because they feel known and trusted by you.

It's not just about yelling. It's about being the mom that you want to be now and all the way into their adulthood.

That one actually brings tears to my eyes as I think about it. The vision is so strong for me to be that type of mom, to be that type of listener. And it's so important and so motivating to me personally. Can you feel that too?

Self-Care Goals: “It’s About Believing You Matter”

Another common goal is to prioritize more time for yourself—for self-care, for hobbies, for something along those lines.

But it's not just about that. It's about feeling like you matter. It's about getting back to the top of your priority list and feeling like you can operate as the best version of yourself.

It's about being your biggest advocate and not needing anybody else's attention or affirmation in order for you to feel really good about you.

It's about being an example to your daughters so they don’t have to wrestle with the same people-pleasing, not-enough, perfectionist ways of thinking and behaving that tend to bog you down.

Work-Life Balance Is More Than Just Balance

The last reframe I want to offer you—the last goal I want to reframe—is work-life balance.

Now, I imagine most of you have some level of that goal here. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be listening to this podcast. But it's not just about balancing work and life and feeling like there's more equality with your time and energy.

It's about waking up every day and feeling like you are living exactly the life you dreamed about living. It's about waking up and feeling excited about what your day holds—whether you're going to spend the whole day working or you're going to spend the whole day with your family.

It's about feeling in control of your time, of your commitments, of your calendar—where your schedule is filled with things that you want to do, the life you want to be leading. It's all things that you've chosen to do.

It’s a life where work, of course, is very integral, but it’s not your whole life. It’s a life where you can actually shut down your work brain on demand at the times that you want and be all-in with your family.

It’s about getting back into the driver’s seat and feeling like you are actually directing your life so that you don’t have any regrets. You don’t look back and wish you had worked less or spent more time with your kids—because you are choosing the life you want to lead today.

It’s the life you’ve always dreamed about living. It truly is a regret-free life.

The Vision Behind Ambitious & Balanced

This is the vision that motivates me each and every day. It’s why I wake up every day and serve this community. It’s why I started this podcast.

And it’s the vision behind my group coaching program, Ambitious and Balanced.

The next cohort is actually starting at the end of February. February 24th, to be exact. The doors are opening in just a couple of weeks.

What You’ll Learn in the Ambitious & Balanced Program

This group is where you will learn not just how to create a balanced life and the four key priorities that are required, but how to sustain it—how to be in control of it.

You’re going to start waking up with more energy, learning how to let go of stress, and taking back control of your calendar and commitments. You’ll start making your family a priority—but not at the sacrifice of your success at work.

The most common thing I hear from my clients who have gone through this program is that they feel calm, they feel in control, and they feel confident.

Small Group, Big Transformation

Now, this is a three-month group coaching program. I only take 10 women into this group, so it’s a really small, intimate group.

We meet weekly. There’s a workbook that you’ll get that will guide our time. Everything launches on February 24th with a five-day kickoff.

There are 90-minute calls where you’re going to learn absolutely everything you need to learn in order to go through this process and actually make the four key decisions that will guide the rest of our time.

How to Join

You can learn everything you need to know about this program by going to my website:

www.rebeccaolsoncoaching.com/ambitiousandbalanced

That’s where you’ll get all the details, see the dates, learn about Clarity Week, explore the four priorities, and understand the investment required to join us.

You can sign up for the waitlist so you’re the first to hear about everything going on with the program.

Or, you can actually sign up for a free call where you and I can connect to make sure that you’re the perfect fit for this program. You can do that on the website as well.

Again, it’s: www.rebeccaolsoncoaching.com/ambitiousandbalanced.

Work-Life Balance: Living the Vision, Not Just the Goal

Okay, last thing I want to say about this: this program is not just about hitting the goal of work-life balance. It's about living into the vision of what a balanced life would mean for you and the impact it would have on you today and in your future.

The Energy of Vision vs. the Short Life of Goals

All right, so let's get back to talking about goals versus vision. Now, I've given you four examples about the difference between these two things, and I want to now offer you some questions to help turn your goals into a vision—or to create some sort of vision around your goals.

Because I hope you noticed, as I was reframing these goals and talking about the vision behind each one, how different it felt when you heard the vision. There’s an energy that comes with vision.

There’s a natural motivation that comes with vision. There’s an “I can’t wait to go after this right now” sort of commitment that comes with vision. That energy tends to be absent when you're just focusing on goals, and it’s what makes goals short-lived.

You will not reach your goals. You will not be able to maintain motivation toward your goals if you don’t have vision and a bigger purpose behind them.

“When the Energy Behind Why You’re Doing Something Feels Stronger…”

I like to use a phrase with my clients. It’s one of those phrases that has kind of been coined as mine, and my clients like to repeat it back to me often.

Here’s what I say:

“When the energy behind why you are doing something feels stronger than the discomfort of actually doing it, then you’ll do it.”

In other words, when the purpose behind your goals—or something that you desire—feels so strong, motivating, and high, it won’t matter how uncomfortable it might be to do what’s required to achieve that goal. You’re going to do it anyway.

When the vision behind why you’re doing something feels stronger than the discomfort of doing it, then you’ll do it.

Vision Makes Goals Easier

So when you focus on creating a vision, and you practice thinking about that vision on a regular basis, your goals are going to get a whole lot easier. They’re going to become no-brainers.

You’re going to figure out how to get that workout in your schedule. You’re going to be willing to do the tedious tasks of journaling or meditating. You’ll be willing to turn down meetings and say no to requests that simply are not your priorities—they’re somebody else’s.

You’ll be able to do the hard things that are required to meet your goals when your vision is strong, when your vision has energy, when it feels big and motivating to you. That’s why this is so important.

Four Questions to Cultivate Vision

Here are a couple of questions to help you cultivate vision behind your goals:

  1. How will I see myself differently if I achieve this goal?

  2. What opportunities does achieving this goal open up for me?

  3. What feels amazing and remarkable about hitting this goal?

  4. Why would achieving this goal today matter for me a year from now?

Take time. Reflect. Journal some of these thoughts. Cultivate a vision behind these goals and revisit it regularly. It’s going to help you actually achieve your goals and guarantee they get done—no matter what.

Why My Word of the Year Took Longer This Time

Now, there’s a reason my word of the year didn’t come to me so naturally this year. If I’m honest, it’s this: I lacked vision.

I was sort of stuck at the end of last year in the day-to-day muck of everyday life. Like the common stressors of being a working mom—I experienced those just the same as you do. And I hadn’t taken the time yet to stop treading water, to get my head up, and to look far enough in the distance to see where I wanted to go. I was just stuck in the middle of it.

But when I did—when I actually took time aside not just to think about my word of the year but to cast that vision, to think about where I wanted to be at the end of the year, to answer these questions I just offered you—my word came to me. And it became so clear and motivating.

My Word of the Year: Elevate

So, my word of the year is elevate.

And it has a lot of different meanings, including elevating my thoughts to focus more on progress made, successes, and positive things instead of getting so bogged down in the negativity of every day.

I also want to elevate my vision—where I’m taking my business this year. I want to make decisions about the book I want to write and the message I want to get out into the world.

I also want to elevate my gaze toward God and the goodness, peace, safety, security, abundance, and sufficiency that my relationship with God provides me.

And the last thing—I want to elevate all the things I do to a level of excellence.

I feel so clear, so motivated, so ready for what this year has for me because I took the time to really cast that vision and focus on what I wanted and what it all meant to me.

This Is Your Year

All right, working moms, that is what I have for you today.

Don’t forget to sign up for the waitlist for Ambitious and Balanced. The doors are opening soon—we’re launching at the end of February.

This is your year. This is your year to step into your best self, to give your family your best energy, and to meet all of your goals.

I’ve got you. Sign up for that waitlist, or sign up for a free call to talk with me about the group to make sure we’re a good fit.

And until then, let’s get to it.

Join the next Cohort

Hey working moms. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I want to let you know that the next cohort for my group coaching program, Ambitious and Balanced, is starting soon. If you're looking to make 2025 the year when you not only learn how to create sustainable work life balance, but you actually put it into practice so that you and your family come first without sacrificing success at your job, then this program is for you. I'm only taking 10 women into this next cohort and you're not going to want to miss this opportunity to get started this year. To learn more, you can head to my website www.rebeccaolsoncoaching.com/ambitiousandbalanced. This is the year where you feel successful both at work and home, and I can't wait for you to start. I'll see you next week. And until then, let's get to it.

Rebecca Olson