Unmotivated? Feeling stuck?

Good news — it’s totally normal. Even better news — you can become the kind of person who isn’t afraid to dream big and set goals.

And it’s probably easier than you think. All it boils down to is changing your mindset and training your discipline muscle.

If you feel you currently have no goals in life, keep reading…

Is it bad to have no goals?

Theoretically, one could have zero goals and still be happy and live a fulfilling life.

But that’s not an ideal state for us human beings. We have been programmed to grow, discover, and achieve. That’s what makes us happy.

Keep in mind, you don’t need to set insurmountable goals. Small goals and small wins are more than enough.

If two identical people had the same exact life and overall level of health, but one had exciting goals and one had none — chances are the person with goals would be much happier.

That’s basically all it boils down to.

Having big goals will also have an impact on other people, especially the people you love. And it could even change the world.

But ultimately the main reason to set goals is that… it makes you happier, and it makes you a better person.

Most people have no goals in life

And the sad truth is that most people, at least based on my experience, don’t really have goals in their life.

Or they may think they do, while in reality they are simply trying to achieve other people’s goals (this is a big mistake and we’ll cover this in a minute).

Or, they may confuse goals for normal social obligations or responsibilities. Things like getting a good job, leading a sustainable lifestyle, and so on.

Now, nothing wrong with that! But in my opinion these aren’t really your own goals because they’re based on what you should do rather than what you want.

Most people never actually take the time to imagine the life they want, and that’s a waste of potential.

Especially because, as mentioned already, you don’t need to have ridiculously big goals. Having a growth mindset doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice everything in your life.

Have no goals in life? Do this…

Alright, these are my top six tips if you feel lost, or stuck, or simply unmotivated.

I learned these the hard way — I have gone through severe depression and used to have literally zero goals in my life. I used to be the laziest person imaginable.

Then, gradually, I learned that my life could change and that setting goals (big or small) could instantly put me in a different state of mind.

Okay, let’s start with the most important one…

1. Forget the past

What you do every single day, from the second you wake up until you fall asleep at night, has a lot to do with your identity. Basically, who you think you are.

If so far you’ve been the kind of person who has no goals in life, guess what, you don’t have to be that person anymore. That doesn’t have to be your identity.

This is why my main tip here is to forget the past, or at least anything from the past that prevents you from becoming a new person.

This could be as simple as using positive affirmations, or as extreme as moving to a new city or country and starting it all over again.

Exciting goals are all about the future version of yourself. To set (and achieve) goals, your energy must be directed toward the future, and your old identity can interfere with that.

2. Start small

I’ll say it for the third time — you don’t need to have the biggest goals to be happier.

You don’t need to wake up at 4am and work on your goal fourteen hours a day every single day, either.

Remember: most people don’t really have goals in life. To be above average, all it takes is a few goals that motivate you and inspire you.

So if you feel you have no goals in life, start small. Then as you move toward those smaller goals, and become more aware of your potential, you will find the motivation to set bigger, more exciting goals.

For example, if your goal is to become healthier, start by eating more vegetables every day. Or go for a short walk every day. Or meditate for ten minutes every morning.

Don’t focus on results — just do something, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

3. Develop discipline

The way you achieve small and big goals in life is, for the most part, pure discipline.

Granted, there are things like luck, unfair advantages, your social circle, and so on.

But literally every successful person I can think of (whatever success meant to them) got there because somehow they were more disciplined than the average person.

At least when it came to getting what they wanted in life.

And the good news is that discipline is like a muscle, so the more you train it, the easier it’ll be to use it.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking other people have a more fulfilling life than us simply because of luck, or chance.

Even when it is true, it’s a toxic thought. It’s unhelpful — it doesn’t change anything in your life. Work on your discipline instead and see how your life starts to change.

4. Meet like-minded people

This can be interpreted in two ways. It could refer to people who have the right mindset, or simply people with the same goals.

By being surrounded by people who are motivated and disciplined, eventually you’ll tend to behave and think the same way, subconsciously (actually fascinating when you think about it).

Similarly, when you meet individuals who share your same goal or goals, it becomes easier to achieve them as well.

If you can find like-minded people who inspire you (perhaps you can think of a few who are already in your life), that’s great.

If you can’t, and that’s definitely possible, then read their books. Watch their videos. Subscribe to their newsletter. All these can be free, by the way.

I get it — it’s not as effective as meeting real people. But trust me, it’s a million times better than complaining and doing nothing.

5. Set your own goals

In my article about the worst goal setting mistakes I mentioned that you should never have other people’s goals.

You should never define happiness, success, fulfillment, etc. based on what it means to other people.

You must be very clear on what makes you happy.

Somebody you know may be happy because they’re working toward a certain goal — the right goal for them — but it doesn’t mean it’ll be the right goal for you.

Take the time to evaluate your own priorities. What sparks your curiosity? What do you really want? What is it that excites you?

6. Believe it’s possible

This may be the hardest part (it certainly was for me). But once you get it, you are basically unstoppable.

To set goals and achieve them, you must believe it’s possible for you to achieve them. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Your conscious, rational mind likely believes it already. The issue is at a deeper level — what’s called the subconscious mind.

If you have no goals in life, you want to set small goals, and ideally follow all the previous five tips I shared, until your subconscious mind truly believes you are capable of achieving what you want to achieve.

And once you get to that point, you’ll be a different person.

It doesn’t happen overnight, and there is no real way to know when it has finally happened.

But you’ll notice it in things like your attitude and perspective when it comes to having goals and living life to the fullest.

Final thoughts/summary

If you have no goals in life, or if your goals are not as big as you believe they should be — remember the following six key points:

  • Your ability to forget who you used to be, and focus on who you want to be, is the foundation of any kind of growth
  • Big goals can be intimidating at first, so don’t be afraid to start small; small wins lead to big wins
  • Discipline makes all the difference; those who have more discipline than the average person tend to set and achieve more goals
  • You should surround yourself with like-minded people, and if you can’t, then you should consume their content
  • Many fall into the trap of setting goals that aren’t right for them, so you need to be very clear on what makes you happy
  • When both your conscious and subconscious mind truly believe you can achieve your goals, you’re halfway there