Making goals is often associated with the new year, with New Year’s Resolutions. But it can actually be better to start them when you are ready, rather than going with what everyone else is doing and starting them at a specific time. This is an easy goal writing prompt, to get you to think about how you want your life to look and creating the first step forward!
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This journal prompt is part of the major arcana journal prompt series, and is related to the Fool. If you aren’t a tarot person, you can still do this journal prompt! It just goes with the ideas of beginnings that is present with this tarot card.
The fool is card 0 in the major arcana series. This is the starting point. Which is what goals are about too. Having a starting point and figuring out where you want to go in the future. If you have even an idea of where you want to go, you’ll be much more productive than aimlessly wandering. This goal writing prompt is an easy way to get moving on your journey to who you want to become!
Scroll all the way to the bottom for an example of the journal prompt too!
Connecting the Fool to Shadow Work
This goal writing prompt is part of the shadow work series. Connecting the fool tarot card, making goals, and shadow work together is about action vs inaction. The fool card depicts a person ready to go on a journey, excited about how their lives might change and who they can meet.
While these goals don’t have to be about doing shadow work (which they can be!), making goals and working towards them is a step in the right direction. Inaction, not moving forward, is when your shadow is in control. Of you not being able to move forward with your life.
So instead of working specifically on the shadow, start by thinking about how you want to see yourself. How you want to change or what you want to learn. By working on achieving your goals, you are simultaneously working on your shadow, by no longer allowing it to control your life and dictate what you do!
Before you Begin
*Please remember this post is meant to act as a guide, not as the only tool you can use. It is not a substitute for professional help. Don’t hesitate to seek further assistance from a professional to work through trauma.
Ensure you are in the right mindset and physical space for this. Try to find a place that where you won’t be interrupted. As this goal creating journal prompt is part of the major arcana series, maybe find the card in your deck for inspiration.
If you’d like, set soft music or light a candles. Get out your journal. You can also have a piece of paper out to write your completed goals on to put them somewhere you’ll remember them.
(looking for music to play relating to this tarot card? Check out this playlist based on the fool!)
The Goal Writing Prompt
With this goal writing prompt, think about how you want to feel and life to look. Free write with that intention for 2 minutes (or longer, if you really want), of just ways that you wish you could improve on yourself. Then take that writing, and try to get it into 1-3 bullet points. These are your goals, and if you are continuing on the other journal prompts, continue with these ideas for the other shadow work prompts.
Decide On The Goals
Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want. What you want to achieve and how to get there. Take 2 minutes to write in your journal, just a free-form, write your thoughts on who you want to become, what you’d like to accomplish. Write about multiple aspects of life, or just one, trying to separate it into smaller pieces.
While you’re writing, think about how you would get there. Visualize and write what it would look like to be working towards that goal and how your life will feel once you’ve reached the goal. How will life be different, how will it be the same? Why do you want to reach this goal?
Visualizing and writing down the ideas is a great way to start with planning goals, and coming up with ideas of where you’d like to go. If you’re really stuck, think about anything that’s been really bugging you. Maybe you’re really close to something but gave up, or want to become better at something.
Or example topics you could think about are: living situation, exercising, meditative practices, keeping your place clean, doing shadow work…
I also have a goal creation tarot spread you can try to create the goals as well if you do like tarot!
Make Them Clear
Once you’ve written for a few minutes, trying to come up with goals, read back over what you just wrote. Hopefully you’ve now got an idea of what some goals are you can work towards.
This is the time to put these goals into bullet points. Try to make no more than 3 at a time, and have them be for a shorter period in front of you (try to go no more than 1 year ahead with an achievable idea at the end). You can have goals that will take years, but try to break them up into smaller sections that are more achievable. That way you can celebrate having accomplished the goal after a few months instead of years.
Normally, I make SMART goals, which you can do. These also don’t have to be very specific for this writing prompt if you aren’t ready. The idea is that you are just starting and need the ideas to be formed.
Optional: SMART goals
Smart goals are: Specific Motivating Achievable Relevant and Timely.
Instead of saying “I want to be a better swimmer” write “I want to be able to swim 5 laps without pausing for a break in 4 months.” – This goal is specific, and in a short time frame, and there is a set answer to what achieving your goal will look like in 4 months.
If you’re doing something like “I want to journal more” make the goal “I want to do one journal prompt a week for the next 6 months.” If you have something you’re working for that isn’t really far out of reach, you’re more likely to achieve the goal!
(Most New Year’s Resolutions fail by January 17th – keeping your goals achievable and having set ideas to go with them instead of vague, you’ll be more likely to keep them up!)
One Step Further
This is meant to be a writing prompt, but an aspect about goals that gives them even more power is if you tell other people, and they can hold you accountable.
My Example
This is a personal example of the journal prompt, in case you are stuck. I’ve only added the writing about some of them below, rather than writing out everything.
I hope this was a helpful journal prompt for you on your journey of working on your shadow self!
Are you looking for more journal prompts? This is one of a series of major arcana tarot card prompts that you can find here! If you’re just starting out and want an idea of how to create a spiritual journal, I have an entire article dedicated to it that you can read about!
Let me know what you thought of this by sharing with me on Instagram @moonofgemini or #moonofgemini!
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