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"Goal setting is not about writing out to-dos—it’s about noticing, nurturing, and embodying what you intentionally devote your soul to that aligns with your vision + your core values." — Pastor Angie
Why SOUL Goals?
SOULjourner, SOUL Goals invite you to intentionally: Savor, Observe, Understand, Love.
SOUL Goals offer a heart-centered path beyond traditional goal-setting frameworks like SMART goals. By goals, I mean a result or outcome—one that, with SOUL Goals, unfolds organically, much like a fruit seed's growth responds to the soil, environment, nurture, and the season's rhythms; SOUL Goals embrace a similar reality.
In the same way that a fruit tree provides shade, beauty, and nourishment for its ecosystem long before and after it bears fruit, SOUL Goals emphasize the journey and the interconnected nature of your personal + communal development, not just the result. Like the fruit tree that has seasons of dormancy, growth, blossoming, and harvest, SOUL Goals recognize that development isn't a straight line to a predetermined outcome.
SOUL Goals are non-linear + compassionate, honoring the full spectrum of who you are—your creativity, unique neurotype, spirituality, and entrepreneurial spirit (I delve into a bit later) while encouraging you to savor life's personal + collective hospitality along the way.
SOUL Goals nurture both personal growth + meaningful collective impact, focusing not on mere individual attainment but on a hospitality that invites you to alternate rest and heARTwork with collaborative intention + discernment.
SOUL Goals arise from vision + empathy, not from ego. Rather than pursuing external validation, they invite you to focus on who you are "being" in your "doing" as you align your inner values with your outer actions, which prioritize: noticing, nurturing, and embodying presence over productivity.
Where there’s sacred alignment, your devotions, desires, and disappointments will organically operate like nourishing compost in your life—nothing is wasted.
Like a patient gardener tending to their garden in harmony with the cyclical seasons, your goals will naturally emerge from the soil of the artful life you already live, not from an imagined future self.
It’s about extending a radical hospitality of presence that ebbs + flows with life’s cyclical rhythms, allowing you and your community to embrace both the flourishing + fallow moments of life’s landscape.
But what exactly do I mean by "entrepreneurial spirit?
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
When I speak of “entrepreneurial spirit,” I’m not necessarily referring to running a traditional business or generating profit. Instead, this spirit embodies the essence of being a creator—a maker who approaches life as an artful practice.
It’s about cultivating a mindset of innovation, curiosity, personal and collective expression—crafting a unique, rhythmic path with soul + care.
This spirit thrives in any domain: whether you’re painting, writing, cooking, parenting, gardening, or pursuing any form of creative expression. The value lies not in monetary success but in creativity—finding delight and shalom (wholeness, peace, wellbeing, wealth) in personal + collective hospitality.
Your entrepreneurial spirit is about being fully alive—generously receiving + sharing your gifts and living connected, regardless of whether those gifts translate into a marketplace exchange or simply enriching your own + others’ inner life landscapes.
SOUL Goals: Savor, Observe, Understand, Love
S - Savor
Embrace the present moment with gratitude + mindfulness.
Savoring invites you to slow down + appreciate the “right now” beauty in your artful life—whether it’s finding joy in your creative process, peace in releasing, celebrating in your courageous audacity, or cherishing family/friendship moments.
For example: Pause during your day to notice how your being has already expanded in a soulful “Ta-Da” moment: a small victory or a sensory experience that amplified your peace + joy—like regulating your breath, enjoying the colors outdoors, the way your body moves to music, the vibration of your voice when you pray, how a beverage soothes you, or laughing with loved ones.
O - Observe
Cultivate awareness of yourself + your surroundings.
Observation encourages you to notice patterns, emotions, and opportunities without judgment. It’s about being fully present to God, the world around you and within you—allowing clarity to emerge in your devotions + artful actions.
For example: Do a body + mind scan to take note of yourself emotionally + physically before diving into tasks for the day. This goal can turn into a prayer or a blessing over yourself.
U - Understand
Seek deeper meaning + empathy in every experience.
Understanding goes beyond surface-level knowledge. It’s about cultivating an intimacy that expands the soul’s capacity to receive + distribute insight, embracing the rich perspectives of diverse experiences (including the unique landscape of your neurotype), while fostering a profound gentleness that informs how you lead, create, and care for yourself + others.
For example: Before you follow up with a customer service agent call for an important matter that you'd rather avoid, get curious to understand compassion toward yourself and the agent, especially when you're feeling frustrated + exhausted.
L - Love
Lead with compassion + communal connection.
Love is the foundation of SOUL Goals—extending heART hospitality to yourself + your community while celebrating the presence + potency of solidarity.
It’s about creating collectively from a place of abundance, nurturing relationships, and ensuring that your being + doing are rooted in kindness.
For example: Connect intentionally with someone who supports you—whether through a heartfelt conversation or a nourishing gesture of sending a thank you card in the mail.
Beyond mere to-do’s, be gentle and nurture your intentions—they are your desired course of being + doing. They allow goals to come to you, instead of setting the goals you think you outta set. Intention setting encourages softness + flexibility.
Don’t push yourself to keep going, choose to rest + hold holy space for yourself in a soul-infused process that allows you to go slower within a steady grace pace. There’s no rush. You don’t have to have a list of goals to guide your next steps. Your steps are ordered by God, not goals.
If a goal does not manifest like you had desired, it doesn’t have to torment you, it can teach you about the unfolding of things in their proper stage of development.
A SOULution Gift Set Feature
Introducing the Intentions Gift Set
Pastoral Care + Counsel
❥ Keep your vision solid, and your plans fluid.
❥ Plans are useful, but don't get attached to them; life has too many surprises (ahem, a pandemic, to name a few): Besides, our plans often reveal where we have become curators of control in efforts to guard ourselves against what we fear most:
boredom, being exposed, disappointment, ambiguity, stillness, insignificance, embarrassment, loss of any kind, appearing deficient/incompetent, etc.
❥ Presence + Preparation, allows you to hold the tension between now and later, even if the future version of what you are preparing for is delayed or never arrives as planned, you've invested in input over output, which is transferrable.
❥ Misplaced trust will surface when Divine Compassion disrupts our plans. The Good Shepherd knows how to turn our attention to a deeper heARTwork, which requires our awareness + alignment.
New Moon (New Month) Blessing
A blessing of release as you observe the lunar cycles: May we honor a holy, slow-release fertilizer of new beginnings + renewal to nourish us in this time of shining forth with the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh).
The moon praises the beauty of the Creator. The Creator uses the ocean to hold up a mirror to the moon to reflect back to it its beauty. Likewise, your blessed femininity is a moon mirror. Asé + Amen.
Until next time,
Gift from your soul.
✧
Deepen Your Soul Care Journey
Beloved SOULjourner, as you continue to nurture your gift-giving practice, discover sustainable gifts designed to embody intentional gift-giving + connection.
Soulful gifting for social change in the soul care boutique be inspired to amplify your ARTvocacy through peace + play vibes.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only as I share my pastoral care, my journey, and bring to you valuable research, it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing any medical concerns or symptoms, please seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional.
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