Setting spiritual goals is a great way to focus your energies and live with purpose. But what are spiritual goals, exactly? And how do you go about setting them?
Spiritual goals are personal aspirations that help you connect with yourself, others, your higher power, or the divine. They can be anything from becoming more compassionate or forgiving, to deepening your meditation practice or becoming more attuned to your intuition.
When setting spiritual goals, it’s important to think about what you want to achieve in your spiritual practice. Do you want to learn more about your faith or deepen your understanding of spirituality? Or maybe you’d like to become more compassionate and forgiving or develop a better meditation practice.
Another important thing to keep in mind about spiritual goals is that they are personal to you. What works for someone else might not work for you, so it’s important to find what resonates with you. The examples that I am going to give you are just a few ideas to get you started- ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what your spiritual goals will be.
Examples of spiritual goals
Spiritual goals for connection with yourself
Connecting with ourselves sometimes can mean connecting to a higher power. We often seek guidance from others when we feel lost, but the most powerful guidance comes from within.
If you’re looking to connect with yourself on a deeper level, consider setting goals like these:
1. Meditate every day
Meditation is the key to spiritual growth. It is a great way to connect with your “higher power” and learn to quiet your mind. It can be as simple as sitting in silence for 5 minutes a day, or you can practice more advanced techniques like mindfulness meditation.
In mindfulness meditation, you simply observe whatever comes up without attachment, whereas in other types of meditation you might focus on a certain mantra or breath.
2. Get in touch with your intuition
Your intuition is your inner guidance system, and it’s important to learn how to listen to it. One way to do this is to practice “automatic writing“. This is where you sit down with a pen and paper, and let your hand write whatever comes into your head without thinking about it too much.
3. Connect with nature
One of the best ways to connect with yourself is to spend time in nature. Go for walks in the park, sit by a lake, or go hiking in the woods. Let nature inspire you and help you feel connected to something bigger than yourself and your limits as a human being.
4. Keep a journal
Whether it’s a personal journal or a gratitude journal, writing can be a great way to connect with yourself. It can help you process your thoughts and feelings, and it’s also a great way to look back and see how far you’ve come.
5. Spend time in silence
Silence is golden – and it can also be very healing. Spend some time each day in complete silence, without any distractions. This can be a great way to connect with yourself and learn to be comfortable with silence.
6. Do a yoga or meditation retreat
If you’re looking for a more intensive way to connect with yourself, consider doing a yoga or meditation retreat. These retreats can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and they provide a great opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and focus on your inner journey.
Related: How to reconnect with yourself?
7. Strive for enlightenment
This is the ultimate goal of spiritual growth – to reach a state of complete understanding and awareness. This is a lifelong journey, but it’s one that might be worth taking.
Spiritual goals for connection with others
1. Be more compassionate
One way to be more compassionate is to practice “loving-kindness” meditation. This is a type of meditation where you focus on sending goodwill and kindness to yourself and others.
2. Forgive someone
Forgiveness is an important spiritual practice. It can be EXTREMELY difficult to do, but it’s also very healing. If you’re struggling to forgive someone, try writing a letter to them (even if you don’t send it) or meditating on forgiveness.
3. Donate to charity
One way to connect with others is to donate your time or stuff to a worthy cause. On this blog, we talk a lot about donating your unnecessary stuff to people in need – but you can also donate your time by volunteering.
4. Give back
Giving back is another great way to connect with others. You can do this in many different ways, such as mentoring someone, teaching a class, or even just helping a friend in need.
Don’t just take from others – give back and help make the world a better place.
Spiritual goals to connect with the divine
To be clear, but the divine, I mean not only God but also the universe, a higher power, or whatever you believe in.
1. Pray or meditate every day
Prayer and meditation are two of the best ways to connect with the divine. If you’re not sure how to pray, just talk to God/the Universe/your Higher Power like you would a friend. You can also try different types of meditation, like visualization or mantra meditation.
2. Read religious or spiritual texts
You don’t even need to be religious to enjoy religious or spiritual texts. The Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita are all great examples of books that can help you understand the divine.
3. Go on a pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey to a place that is significant to your religion or spiritual belief system. It can be a local place or something more far-flung like India or Jerusalem.
4. Listen to classical music or natural sounds
Classical music and nature sounds can both be very calming and help you feel connected to something greater than yourself. You can also listen to worship music if you’re religious.
Currently, I enjoy listening to the calm piano, it truly makes me connect with the Univers.
5. Learn about different religions
Sometimes, the best way to connect with your own spiritual beliefs is to learn about others. This doesn’t mean you need to convert to another religion, but simply understanding different belief systems can help you appreciate your own more.
6. Find a spiritual teacher or guru
A spiritual teacher or guru can help you understand your own beliefs better and provide guidance on your spiritual journey. They are usually wise and experienced people who have a lot of knowledge to share.
Why set spiritual goals?
It can be easy to get caught up in the mundane aspects of life, but if you have spiritual goals to focus on, it can help you stay grounded and centered.
Other benefits of setting spiritual goals include:
1. Connecting with yourself, others, and/or the divine.
2. Finding meaning and purpose in life.
3. Gaining a better understanding of the world and the Universe.
4. Becoming more compassionate and forgiving.
5. Growing and evolving as a person.
6. Helping to make the world a better place.
7. Experiencing more peace and happiness.
No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, setting goals in this area can be very beneficial. So take some time to reflect on what you want to achieve spiritually and then get started working towards your goals.
The importance of writing down your goals
One of the best ways to achieve your goals is to write them down. This helps to make them more concrete and real, and it also gives you a roadmap to follow.
When you’re writing down your goals, be sure to be as specific as possible.
For example, rather than just writing “I want to be more spiritual”, try something like “I want to pray or meditate for at least 20 minutes every day”.
You should also write down WHY you want to achieve each goal. This will help to keep you motivated and focused, especially when things get tough.
The SMART system
The SMART system is a great way to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Let’s take the example that I said above. Suppose you want to meditate every day for at least 20 minutes.
S – Specific: I will meditate for at least 20 minutes each day.
M – Measurable: I will use a timer to make sure that I meditate for at least 20 minutes.
A – Achievable: I will start by meditating for 5 minutes a day and then work my way up to 20 minutes.
R – Relevant: This goal is relevant to my spiritual journey because it will help me connect with myself and the divine.
T – Time-bound: I will start meditating tomorrow and do it every day for the next month.
By following the SMART system, you can be sure that your goals are clear, achievable, and have a specific timeframe. This will make it much easier to stick to your goals and achieve them.
The importance of being intentional about your spiritual goals
One of the most important things to remember when setting spiritual goals is to be intentional about them. This means that you need to have a clear purpose for why you’re setting each goal.
Besides that, every day set the intention to make a small step towards your goal. This could be something like reading a chapter of a spiritual book or taking a few minutes to pray or meditate.
Read more about setting daily intentions here.
Visualize & affirm your goals
Another powerful way to achieve your goals is to envision and affirm them. This means that you take some time to imagine yourself achieving your goal, and then you say positive statements about it out loud.
For example, if your goal is to do yoga practice every day until you will feel connected to your body and mind, then you might say something like “I am feeling more connected to my body and mind with each yoga practice”.
You can imagine yourself being super flexible, feeling great after each practice, or whatever else you want to achieve through your yoga practice. Just be sure to make your affirmations positive and present tense.
Final thoughts
No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, setting goals can help you connect with yourself, others, and/or the divine. It can also provide meaning and purpose in your life, and help you become a better person.
When setting spiritual goals, be sure to use the SMART system to make sure to be intentional about your goals. Also, be sure to write them down and set the intention to work on them every day.
I believe that if more people set spiritual goals and worked on them every day, the world would be a much better place. So I encourage you to give it a try!
Have a spiritual day!
Cheers,
Diana
Articles that you might enjoy reading:
20 Essential Relationship Goals to Strive For
40 monthly goals to help you be your better self
Setting Summer Goals – Make the most of the season