Musical accompaniment: In the Middle of a Riddle. Strangely enough, I don’t know who is singing. The song is from The Third Man,  the 1949 Orson Welles movie. Even on the soundtrack, the performer’s name isn’t mentioned.

 

There’s a new moon tonight. My friends who study the cosmos assure me this is the best time to set a goal for yourself.

Personal goal-setting can be intimidating. One of the biggest obstacles to setting a goal is not feeling certain about what you want.  When I coach people, I often notice it’s easier to identify what they don’t like than to think of something they want to achieve. So I ask them, what’s something you notice in your world that you don’t like? And what would be better? Make that the starting point for your goal. You can always build on the idea later but that gets you started. It’s okay to start with a small goal. Often solving a little annoyance can be very satisfying!

Some people have an easier time setting goals. The more free-spirited amongst us might be inspired by a solitary stroll or a ritual…or blowing dandelion seeds!

Dandelions by Ema Spencer in 1907.

The more interesting question to me is whether you should tell other people what your goal is. It’s worth thinking about! We have a new moon tonight but it won’t be long until there is a full moon (about two weeks), and that’s the time to manifest!

Some people say, keep your goals to yourself.  You never know what other people think. There are a million reasons why someone close to you might not want you to achieve a particular goal. They may sabotage your progress, not necessarily out of meanness. Or they may be a more cautious person and their instinct is to throw out a lot of objections as a warning to you. Even if you’re not dissuaded, it could rob you of the excitement of pursuing your goal or plant seeds of doubt.

The other perspective is that you should tell at least one person what your goal is. Talking about your goal is energizing for extroverts especially.  The other person can help motivate you to stay on track. “I thought you said you were saving your money. Let’s find something inexpensive to do.”  Maybe they have ideas to help you, or people they could connect you to, or resources they could share.

Which camp are you in? And is there something you would like to see by the light of the next full moon?

For inspiration, have a look at this beautiful photochrom print from New Zealand in 1890, Moonlight on Lake Waikaremoana.