Why Not Having Goals Leaves You Wandering
Living without goals isn't a lack of ability — it's often a lost belief that a different future is possible. Here's what research, ancient wisdom, and your own brain say about the power of vision.
I wasn’t that girl that dreamed about her wedding day, her husband, her future. Perhaps it had something to do with my early years; I lived in 5 states before age 9. Early on I began to experience horrific headaches. I don’t particularly remember the pain, but I remember the emotion. Because the pain was so intense, I couldn’t bear light, or noise. After medical testing they sent me to a psychologist. The diagnosis, emotional distress due to the frequency of moving.
I think that as a young girl I developed the idea that things were not stable. So dreaming about what might be when what had been was unstable didn’t feel possible. Instability moves your nervous system into survival mode. Survival mode narrows future thinking and limits dreaming.
Whether we are not setting goals or not dreaming because of life circumstances or some other reason there are repercussions. There are two ideas I want you to see to help you understand the impact of having no goals or vision. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t alone. Many people are not living without dreams because they lack ability. They’re living without dreams because somewhere along the way they stopped believing a different future was possible. Perhaps they’ve never known it was possible.
What the research says
Let’s first look at Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus, David Kohl. He shared findings from an informal survey that illustrates an important principle regarding having goals. He polled a large sample of people over many years and asked about their goals. 80% of the people polled did not have formal goals. 16% of them had some goals but had never written them down. 4% of the people had formal goals, had written them down at one time but did not know where they were. 1% of those polled had goals, had written them down, and looked at them regularly. That 1% of people were 9 TIMES more successful and made 9 TIMES more money than the others.
The statistics may not directly correlate to the overall population, but are worth our consideration.
In my own experience I can say the few goals I did have like a college education and a family, happily came to pass. And now, armed with wisdom and goals, my life is emerging in a more planned and consistent manner.
Ancient wisdom
“Without a vision, the people cast off restraint.” — Proverbs 29:18
Casting off restraint is a good description of someone who wanders through life without a specific goal or vision for their future.
They’re the ones “looking for love in all the wrong places.” But seriously, I’m sure you’ve heard the quote from Zig Ziglar: “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Hit what? NOTHING. And that is the point. With no goal in sight, there’s nothing to aim at.
How your brain responds to a target
Having goals and vision for your future provides your brain with direction and focus. Because your brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) is designed to search for and filter things you are focused on and filter out things that would distract you. Therefore, you want to provide it with direction.
Here is how the Reticular Activating System uses that information. When you become emotionally clear about what you want, you give your brain a target. Your brain then asks “does this align with the goal?” If yes, it moves that information into conscious awareness. Because you’re seeing different information, you naturally make different decisions. The RAS isn’t “manifesting” these things. It’s increasing the likelihood that you’ll notice and act on opportunities that align with your goals.
Why does all this matter?
Because when you have a clear vision for your life, you’re no longer simply reacting to whatever happens next. You begin making decisions on purpose instead of by default. You stop wandering and start moving with intention. Little by little, your daily choices begin to reflect the future you’re trying to create rather than the past you’ve been living.
Vision doesn’t make life easier. It makes your direction clearer. And clarity gives you confidence to keep moving, even when the road isn’t obvious.
Three things a vision provides
- Clear direction: Knowing what you want stops you from wandering without clarity or purpose.
- Measurable success: A target lets you know if you actually succeeded or if you’re making progress.
- Better focus: Focusing your energy helps you make smart choices and remove distractions.
“Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so that he may run who reads it.” — Habakkuk 2:2
Like the people from David Kohl’s study, the ones who wrote the goals down and read them; they ran the race of life with greater outcomes than those that did not.
Where do you start?
If you’ve never written goals before, where do you start? Let me ask you a couple questions that may prompt some goals for your life.
- Do you have a savings account for emergencies?
- Are you healthy, vibrant and thriving?
- Do you wake up excited for your day and ready to embrace it?
- Do you have a legacy that people will remember when you’re gone (not money — impact)?
- Is your family healthy, vibrant and living with joy?
- Do you have healthy relationships?
- Is your home clean and organized?
- Are you driving a car you love?
- Do you live where you want to live?
- If nothing was impossible, what dreams would you pursue?
I’m sure you get the idea. There are always areas in our lives where we can set goals and move towards something better.
In my personal experience, getting clear on goals for my life has brought about focus, excitement, connections, direction and fulfillment. I have huge, intimidating goals in some areas. And not so big nor overwhelming goals in others.
Accept this blog as your permission to dream as big or as simple as you want, but start dreaming and planning. If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time! Give your brain something meaningful to focus on and work toward. The life God has for you won’t happen by accident. Write the vision. Read it often. Pray over it. Then take one small step today toward becoming the person you were created to be.
I can’t wait to hear how your life is becoming extraordinary! I’d love to receive an email telling me about your experience.
Love,
Marcy
PS: I created a Setting Goals document for you. There is a method to goal setting that makes it more effective. Find it in the Resources section.