My upcoming book, Atmosphere of the Inner Self: A Strategic Approach to Self-Talk considers the idea of a self-talk strategy versus goal setting for achieving sticky growth.

When you think of creating a strategy, do you always have a goal in mind? Does there need to be a goal? Or can a strategy be aimed at creating a sustained way to live, perceive, and relate?

Traditional goal setting never really worked well for me. For many years, I didn’t know why it didn’t work. I finally realized it was because I tended to focus on the goal and not the growth.

I turned my focus instead to creating a stable inner atmosphere. Out of that came the ability to make progress and achieve goals, but they were the product of strategy not the aim of it.

While harder to measure, this approach places the emphasis on progress over perfection. When progress stalls, I do a status check on my inner atmosphere. This inevitably leads to adjusting my self-talk strategy.

Adjusting how I talk to myself means changes to the way I think and feel. I almost always resist the adjustments at first, too. Often, I don’t even recognize the need for an adjustment until desperation hits.

Does traditional goal setting work for you? Have you ever thought about your self-talk as a strategy? Have you taken the time to adjust your inner voice when life feels stuck?

I’d love to hear what you think of this topic. Any stories related to self-talk and goal setting are also welcome!