Prioritizing Your Goals: A Journey Towards Clarity and Success

Have you ever felt like you have so many goals—career, health, relationships, personal growth—but no idea where to start? You write them all down, but instead of feeling motivated, you just feel… overwhelmed? Trust me, I’ve been there too. Today, I’m excited to share a powerful coaching framework called ‘Structural Alignment’ that will help you cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Challenge of Goal Overwhelm

If you’re currently working on a goal, such as advancing your career, you may have a sense of what you need to do to achieve that promotion. Now it’s a matter of getting those things done. Simple enough, right?

But what happens if, in addition to a career goal, you’re also working on getting healthier and perhaps improving your romantic relationship? In every one of these goals, you know what needs to be done, and you’re working on them to the best of your ability.

But what if it gets too much? How do you prioritize your goals? Which one is more important, or are all important? Before I share with you a coaching model I personally use to prioritize my goals—and that many coaches use with their clients—let me show you how I used to work on my goals before.

When I was working in my advertising job, I felt completely pressed for time. Work-life balance didn’t exist for me! I wish I knew then what I know now. If you’re here, believe me, I understand how it feels.

You’re working hard at your job, but you also want time for other goals—like your health, your relationships, or maybe pursuing a hobby. Not being able to work on your goals can be frustrating.

And even though you may know you have all these goals you’d like to work on, which one do you choose? You’ve heard the word ‘prioritize’ so much before, but how do you practically prioritize your goals?

The Power of Structural Alignment

This is where Structural Alignment can be a powerful tool to prioritize your goals. This coaching framework is widely used by many coaches to help clients achieve significant breakthroughs.

I’ve not only used this with my clients but also for my personal goals. The framework has four steps that can guide you through the process.

Step 1: Your Truth

This step is about getting brutally honest about where you are right now. Most overwhelm comes from trying to do everything at once without acknowledging our real limitations.

You may feel like every goal of yours is urgent and important, but is it? Before you determine the order of priority for your goals, consider a few things:

• What goals are truly yours versus society’s or family’s expectations?

• What can you realistically handle right now? (Think time, energy, resources.)

• What’s draining you versus fulfilling you?

  
  

Write down your answers. This isn’t about judging yourself; it’s about gaining clarity. Once you’ve answered these questions, consider your goals. If you were to put them in order of priority for yourself, write them down.

While deciding on the priority of your goals, it’s best to be objective. Imagine if you were doing this for a loved one. If you were deciding their immediate goals based on concern for their overall health, what would be the order of goals?

For example, yes, that promotion seems like a pressing goal you want to accomplish. But if your health has been poor lately, it’s a no-brainer that getting healthier should be a higher priority than working late nights to complete a project.

Putting some distance while prioritizing your goals can help reduce overwhelm. Remember, you can work on all your goals, just not at the same time!

Step 2: Defining Your Vision

Your vision is your ideal future. Most people set goals randomly, but aligned goals come from a clear vision. Think of your vision as broader than your goals. Your vision is more flexible than your goals.

Here are a few questions to help you define your vision:

Exercise:

• Imagine yourself five years from now. What does your best life look like?

• What three areas matter most? (Health, career, relationships, etc.)

• Which goals, if achieved, would make everything else easier?

  
  

Your vision acts like a compass—helping you say yes to what aligns and no to what doesn’t with your goals.

For instance, if your vision is to run a successful business, consider whether your daily habits and lifestyle align with that vision. If they don’t, maybe your vision isn’t as important to you, or perhaps you need to reevaluate your habits and lifestyle.

Step 3: Purpose – Connect to Your ‘Why’

Purpose is the deeper reason behind your goals. Without purpose, even big achievements can feel empty.

Exercise:

• For each goal, ask: ‘Why is this important to me?’ (Dig three layers deep.)

• Example: "I want a promotion." → Why? "To feel respected." → Why? "To believe in myself."

• Keep only the goals tied to your core values.

  
  

I believe that when your goals are purpose-driven and aligned with your vision, the motivation to work on those goals comes naturally.

Step 4: Spiritual Awareness – Trust the Process

Finally, spiritual awareness involves recognizing that you don’t have to force everything. Surrender control and trust the timing of the universe.

Exercise:

• Which goals feel ‘light’ versus ‘heavy’? (Intuition check!)

• Practice letting go of goals that no longer serve you.

• Affirmation: ‘I focus on what’s aligned and release the rest.’

  
  

Peace comes from knowing you’re on the right path—not from doing it all.

Now, take your goals and filter them through these steps. Keep only the ones that pass all four!

Embracing the Journey

After working with several clients, I believe that overwhelm happens when we try to work on goals from a space of wanting to get everything done. But you don’t have to. Focus on what’s true, be aligned, and meaningful.

If you’d like to book a free coaching session with me, you can do that by signing up here.

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I’m curious—what goal are you prioritizing for yourself? Drop it in the comments! If this helped, hit like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs it.

Till next week, remember what you want matters, and it’s really up to you to make it happen!