The beginning of a new year invites us to pause.
To look back with appreciation at what has been — and at the same time to look ahead:
What do I truly want?
What do I want to devote my time, my energy, my heart to?
Whether in our personal lives or in a professional context, only those who have goals — and know them — can achieve them. Goals give direction to our actions. They help us make more conscious decisions and focus our energy on what truly matters. Without goals, we merely react to external circumstances. With clear goals, we begin to actively shape our lives.
What Science Tells Us About Goal Setting
Psychology has studied the effects of goal setting for decades. One of the most well-researched frameworks is Goal-Setting Theory, which shows that:
- Clear, specific, and challenging goals increase performance, motivation, and persistence.
- Goals direct our attention, increase our willingness to invest effort, and help us stay committed — even when obstacles arise.
- Goal setting is effective across many domains: professional life, sports, education, and personal development.
One key insight from this research:
Goals don’t only operate on the level of behavior — they also operate on the level of identity.
When we know what we are moving toward, we act differently: more consistently, more decisively, and with greater self-efficacy.
Connecting With Your Goals — More Than a To-Do List
Writing down goals is a good first step. But goals become truly powerful only when they are anchored within us. This is why various methods have emerged that not only help us keep our goals present, but — and this is the crucial difference — help us stay emotionally connected to them.
Why is it so important to connect a goal not just mentally, but emotionally — and especially with elevated emotions?
Simply put:
A goal in the mind sets direction.
A strong emotion releases energy.
Without emotion, a goal remains abstract.
With emotion, it becomes effective.
Thoughts provide orientation — emotions drive behavior.
Thoughts tell us what we want.
Emotions determine whether and how we act.
From a neuropsychological perspective, emotions are the primary drivers of behavior:
- They influence attention, motivation, and decision-making.
- They determine whether we start, persist, or give up.
- They are more directly linked to action systems than purely cognitive goals.
A purely mental goal often gets “stuck” in the prefrontal cortex.
Only when emotional meaning is added does the limbic system activate — and with it, the willingness to invest energy.
That’s why so many people know exactly what they want — and still don’t do it.
Emotions Anchor Goals in the Nervous System
Emotions are not just feelings — they are physiological states.
When a goal is connected to elevated emotions such as joy, meaning, gratitude, or enthusiasm:
- Heart–brain communication changes
- The autonomic nervous system shifts from protection mode to creation mode
- Learning, creativity, and problem-solving become easier
The goal is no longer just “thought” — it is embodied.
This is the difference between:
“I want to achieve something”
and
“I am already internally on the way there.”
Elevated Emotions Shape Identity — Not Just Outcomes
Another crucial point:
In the long run, people don’t act for goals — they act from identity.
When a goal is emotionally charged, something profound happens:
- The goal becomes part of one’s self-image.
- Behavior begins to adjust naturally and consistently.
- Decisions feel “aligned” rather than forced by discipline.
An elevated emotion acts like an inner bridge between the present self and the future self:
“This is what it feels like to be this person.”
And that is exactly what makes sustainable change possible.
Emotion Beats Willpower
Willpower is limited. Emotional coherence is not.
Studies show that people are significantly more resilient, focused, and persistent when they act from a positive, coherent emotional state. Elevated emotions:
- Reduce inner resistance
- Lower stress responses
- Increase recovery and endurance
A goal connected to a strong emotion requires less discipline —
it pulls instead of pushes.
Why “Elevated” Emotions Are Especially Powerful
Not all emotions work the same way.
Emotions such as fear, pressure, or lack can drive action in the short term — but they consume energy.
Elevated emotions such as:
- Gratitude
- Meaning
- Joy
- Connection
- Inner calm
have a different quality:
- They stabilize the nervous system
- They promote coherence between heart, brain, and body
- They enable long-term, healthy goal pursuit
That’s why it’s so powerful to set goals not from a sense of lack, but from inner fullness.
In Summary
- Thoughts define the goal.
- Emotions activate the system.
- Elevated emotions anchor the goal in the body, the nervous system, and identity.
Or put differently:
A goal you only think remains an idea.
A goal you feel becomes a path.
My Favorite Methods for Staying Emotionally Connected to Goals
Vision Boards — Images for What Wants to Emerge
Vision boards use visualization. Images, words, or symbols represent what we want to achieve or embody. Research suggests that visualization:
- Strengthens focus and attention
- Increases motivation
- Helps us mentally “pre-experience” goals
Vision boards are most effective when they don’t just show idealized images that lift us emotionally, but are also connected to concrete next steps. Visualization doesn’t replace action — it supports it.
Gratitude Journals — Activating Inner Resources
Gratitude practices are a core element of positive psychology. Studies show that regular gratitude:
- Increases optimism and emotional well-being
- Reduces stress
- Supports goal pursuit by shifting attention to what is already working
Gratitude is the “younger sibling of love” and one of the most powerful emotions we can cultivate when we want to stay emotionally connected to our goals. Gratitude strengthens inner stability and shifts the nervous system into a state of “goal fulfillment.”
When I can emotionally feel that my goal is already achieved, the path toward it often unfolds almost naturally. Elite athletes mentally rehearse victory before competition — and those who master this best are often the ones who win.
One of the Most Powerful Techniques — and My Personal Favorite: Connecting With Your Future Self
Beyond external tools, there is a particularly powerful inner practice:
Consciously connecting with the version of yourself that has already achieved your goals.
The core idea is simple — and profound:
What I want to become, I am allowed to become internally already.
Neuroscience and psychology show that the brain does not clearly distinguish between real experience and vividly imagined experience. When we repeatedly connect with a future self-image, it influences our emotions, decisions, and behavior in the present moment.
HeartMath: Emotional Coherence as a Biological Success Factor
The HeartMath Institute has studied the interaction between the heart, brain, and nervous system for over 30 years. One key insight:
Emotions organize our physiology.
Research shows that positive, elevated emotions such as gratitude, appreciation, or inner calm create a state of heart–brain coherence. In this state:
- Heart rhythm, breathing, and brainwaves synchronize
- Communication between the heart and prefrontal cortex improves
- Stress hormone activity decreases while self-regulation and clarity increase
From a HeartMath perspective:
An emotionally coherent state is a prerequisite for clear intention, stable performance, and sustainable goal pursuit.
A goal that is emotionally “tuned” in this state doesn’t just work mentally — it regulates biology. It becomes part of the inner organizing principle.
Practical Tip: Heart-Lock-In Visualization (Inspired by HeartMath)
This exercise is based on the HeartMath Heart-Lock-In method combined with future visualization. It helps build emotional coherence and connect with your goal identity.
Duration: 5–10 minutes
Purpose: Connect with your future self who is already living your goals
How to practice:
- Arrive
Sit comfortably. Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply through your nose. With each breath, allow your breathing to become calmer and deeper. - Heart Focus
Bring your attention to the area of your heart. Imagine your breath gently flowing through your chest or heart area — choose an image that feels natural and comfortable. - Positive Heart Emotion
As your breathing becomes steady and calm, evoke a feeling of gratitude, appreciation, or love. Choose an emotion that feels accessible. In my work with clients, gratitude and appreciation have proven especially effective — even during emotional heaviness or depressive moods — because everyone can find something to appreciate if they look closely enough.
Once you access this elevated emotion, allow it to expand in the heart area. - Future Connection — Thoughts You Can Feel
Now imagine the version of yourself who has already achieved your goal(s).
Simply hold the intention to connect with this future self and allow whatever arises to unfold. You may see yourself — or simply feel yourself. Both are perfect.
How do you move through life?
What feels natural and effortless now?
How does this future version of you look back at your present situation as the past?
Continue breathing and feel the joy, gratitude, and appreciation of your future self for the path that led there. Every successful person honors their past — no matter how challenging it was — because it brought them exactly where they are now.
- Embodiment
Feel this future self not just as an image, but as a state. Notice how it feels in your body to be this person now. - Integration
Stay with this feeling for a few breaths. Then thank your future self, gently release the visualization, and consciously return to the present moment.
My Best Wishes for the New Year
Practiced regularly, this exercise strengthens clarity, inner alignment, and emotional stability — essential factors for sustainable goal achievement, regardless of whether your goals are personal, professional, health-related, or otherwise.
I wish you clarity about what truly matters to you.
The courage to set goals that come from within — and the patience to move toward them step by step.
May you repeatedly feel connected to the version of yourself who already knows: change is possible.
A year filled with awareness, heart intelligence, and fulfilled growth lies ahead.
In Closing
Goals are more than plans. They are expressions of who we are becoming and the imprint we wish to leave on this planet. When we don’t just think our goals but feel them, embody them, and consciously reconnect with them, real change emerges — both personally and professionally.
If you’d like to deepen this work, I would be happy to support you, your team, or your organization through my HeartMath coaching and trainings. Together, we strengthen emotional coherence, resilience, goal clarity, and sustainable performance — with the heart as our central point of orientation.
With warm regards and my best wishes for your NEW YEAR 2026
Marion Massafra-Schneider
