Five Steps for Goal Setting with Affirmation Cards

As you work towards key goals, maintaining motivation and direction can be challenging. If you’re looking at a list of hundreds of goals to achieve, goal setting becomes a chore to complete. Goal setting with affirmation cards can bring back control of your long-term goals.

Affirmation cards feature affirming messages to drive you forward, and inspire you when you're unsure about the next step to take. Follow these five steps for goal setting with affirmation cards, and bring the enjoyment back to goal setting. 

Step 1: Be clear about your goals in a daily planner 

It sounds simple enough, but the first step to goal setting with affirmation cards is always to get out your daily planner, and make clear guidelines about what your goals are. No two people will view their goals the same, even if they are similar. Two novelists might both aim to publish their book - but one via self-publishing, the other via traditional publishers. Two students might both aim to find accommodation - but with completely different budgets and requirements. 

Before looking at affirmation cards, start your goal setting by clarifying your goals in a daily planner. What is your end goal? Where do you want to be? If you're goal setting towards a new career, what does that perfect job look like? Think carefully - What hours are you looking for? What level of responsibility? Focus on defining as clear a picture of your end goal as possible. Once you have a clear idea written down in your daily planner, you’re ready to choose from your affirmation cards.

Step 2: Choose an affirmation card

There are two major ways to choose an affirmation card for goal setting. If you're feeling stuck, it can help to hide the affirmation cards' messages, and choose at random. Otherwise, you can select one that is already meaningful to you. Always let your instincts guide you. Ask yourself which card feels right for you as you work on goal setting. 

Once you have chosen from the affirmation cards, ask yourself how the message can support you. Do you feel lacking in terms of guidance or motivation? For example, if your affirmation focuses on recognising opportunities around you, you can use this message to influence the way you work towards your goals, encouraging yourself to seek out new opportunities and take chances.

Step 3: Goal-setting with affirmation cards using micro-goals

One of the best goal setting techniques is to split your goals into micro-goals. This transforms the road to your dreams into tangible and accessible daily goals. For example, if your goal is to embark on a new career, your micro-goals could be to research your ideal job requirements, edit your CV, apply for new jobs, and reach out to colleagues for references. 

Affirmation cards make a huge impact on creating micro-goals. Again, if your affirmation is about recognising opportunities, you could focus your goal setting on reaching out for new opportunities. You could contact peers in your ideal field, take a free course, or apply for a job in a new company. 

Step 4: How to manifest your affirmations as you complete goals 

One way to take goal setting with affirmation cards a step further is through manifesting as you complete goals. Manifesting involves internalising your affirmations into every aspect of your outlook, which, by the law of attraction, can draw new opportunities to you. 

If your affirmation relates to your dreams becoming reality - live with that outlook. Put the perspective of your affirmation into every task you work on. If you applied for a course, for example, you could put the affirmation about recognising opportunities into action by entering with a confident perspective, reaching out to your peers, and embracing each task as part of the journey to your dreams.

Step 5: Record progress and affirmations in a daily planner

As you complete goals, keep track of them in a daily planner. This can boost your confidence and encourage you to complete even more goals. You can choose different affirmations to support you each week, and record them with your goal setting. 

In a daily planner, you can also reflect on the success of your goal setting. What goals were you able to achieve? What did you find challenging? You may find the affirmations you need change over time. You might need an affirmation to support your self-belief at first, and later change to an affirmation about making goals a reality.

Affirmation cards provide you with a strong outlook as you work towards your goals. Utilise these five steps to goal setting with affirmation cards to reach goals in a way that works for you, without pressure or low confidence. Through goal setting with affirmation cards, you can ground yourself in positivity and self-belief as you reach towards your long-term goals.