A few years back, I found myself in a rut with goal-setting. I had all these grand ambitions, but making actual progress always felt like an uphill battle. I’d set huge goals like “become a famous entrepreneur” or “get shredded,” but within months, my motivation would fizzle and I’d be back where I started.
Even worse, it became this demoralizing cycle. I’d beat myself up over not achieving those big goals, only to set new ambitious aims and repeat the process—depleting my self-confidence each time. It was like running on a treadmill, putting in tons of effort but staying stuck.
Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you’ve felt the disappointment of pouring energy into a goal that initially inspired you, only to have it lose meaning or become rigid when life threw curveballs. Or you achieved a major goal, but just felt unsatisfied afterward.
Well, let me introduce a fresh approach for setting and achieving aims—the Time Flow system. It has two core components:
- Northstars – Big-picture visions that act as guiding inspirations fueling your goal pursuit.
- Flowing Milestones – Concrete, adaptable steps marking progress toward your Northstar ambitions.
The concept is creating a sustainable, meaningful approach to growth and achievement rooted in clarity of purpose and flexibility to adapt as circumstances change.
Let’s start with Northstars. These are the “why” behind your aims—compelling higher callings capturing your deepest values and aspirations. An effective Northstar paints a rich, motivating picture of how you want to grow and what positive impact you aspire to make.
For example, “Lose 20 pounds” is an outward goal.
But a Northstar could be:
“Cultivate vibrant health and energy to be fully present with my loved ones and make cherished memories together.”
This transcendent “why” provides far more context and inspiration.
Your Northstars illuminate your long-term trajectory, even when the path is unclear. They’re the inspirations fueling your personal growth journey.
Flowing Milestones are the incremental progress trackers and course markers along that path. Unlike rigid goals with defined start/end points, Milestones are fluid, allowing you to adapt based on your pace and shifting circumstances.
An effective Milestone aims to be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based (though not necessarily a firm deadline).
For that health-focused Northstar, Milestones could include:
“Establish a sustainable meal-prepping routine by end of next month”
“Train for and complete a 10K within the next 6 months”
The distinction from traditional goals? Milestones establish a direction while allowing for natural pivots based on new information or changes in your life.
The Northstar visions pull you forward. Milestones are adaptable pathfinders, not rigid pass/fail checkpoints.
This approach is guided by core philosophies:
- Clarity of Purpose – Vivid Northstars rooted in your beliefs are essential for lasting motivation. If your aims feel disconnected from your core self, revisit your Northstars.
- Alignment – While Milestones can adapt, they need to form an intentional sequence propelling you toward your Northstar ambitions and values.
- Sustainability – Time Flow emphasizes creating daily habits and rhythms you can realistically sustain long-term while making steady progress.
- Growth Mindset – At its core, Time Flow celebrates the journey of continual growth over any specific destination or outcome. A growth mindset embraces challenges as opportunities.
Let me highlight some pitfalls conventional goal-setting has that the Time Flow system addresses:
Lack of Deeper Inspiration – Most traditional goals feel detached from deeper meaning—they’re just boxes to check, which makes it brutal to sustain motivation through tough times. Northstars solve this by aligning your biggest aims with your purpose and values. There’s a compelling “why” energizing you when the path gets rocky.
Rigidity and Inflexibility – Old-school goal-setting puts you in a pass/fail mindset. Life’s twists and turns can derail everything. Milestones’ seamless adaptability means inevitable changes don’t have to be catastrophic detours from your Northstar trajectory. You can modify while sustaining momentum.
“Outcome Obsession” Over Growth – Many fixate on achieving arbitrary outcomes—job titles, fitness goals, income levels—while overlooking immense personal growth unfolding along the journey. Northstars keep you inspired by life’s highest potential. But Milestones convert that into a purposeful voyage celebrating progress over any single outcome.
Hopefully you see how Time Flow evolves goal achievement from an often draining process into a purpose-fueled growth adventure. But how do you actually implement it?
Crafting Vivid Northstars
Tap into your core beliefs and life visions to shape compelling guiding Northstars. The goal is vividly describing who you aspire to become and the positive impact you want your life’s journey to seed.
Explore prompts like:
- “How do I want to dedicate my life’s purpose?”
- “What principles do I want guiding my growth?”
- “How do I want to show up for my family and community?”
- “What legacy do I want to leave through how I live?”
- “How can I deepen my presence and fulfillment?”
Craft rich Northstar statements that inspire you whenever revisited, like:
“Be a lifelong learner expanding my knowledge to have fascinating conversations connecting meaningfully with others.”
The specifics don’t matter—prioritize Northstars radiating deep personal meaning.
Mapping Flowing Milestones
With Northstars set, map out incremental milestone paths propelling you toward those visions. For each, brainstorm a logical sequence of meaningful progress markers and skill-builders.
Effective Milestones should satisfy S.M.A.R.T criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and containing a sense of time motivation (like “by Q4 2023”).
For example, toward a learning-focused Northstar:
- Read 2 thought-provoking books per month, tracking insights
- Attend a captivating lecture or course each quarter
- Host quarterly dinner parties to discuss ideas with friends
Notice how Milestones create an intentional sequence, but aren’t so rigid that inevitable pivots become catastrophic.
Living Your Time Flow
With Northstars inspiring you and initial Milestones set, start integrating your aims into your daily lifestyle and rhythms.
Identify habitual actions required. For creative aims, maybe it’s scheduling recurring “Deep Work” windows. For skills-based goals, commit to a rejuvenating morning routine priming you for focused efforts.
Thoughtfully consider optimizing your infrastructure—environments, relationships, routines—to harmonize with your new trajectory. Explore ways to enhance accountability through periodic reviews, progress tracking, or masterminds.
The Time Flow approach to goals is an ever-evolving lifestyle attuned to steadily generating forward momentum aligned with your deepest aims as your life changes.
Adopting this mindset unlocks profound benefits:
Compelling Energy – How often do we feel drained by lack of deeper meaning? With inspiring Northstars rooted in your highest visions, you’ll awaken propelled by compelling purpose.
Productivity Without Punishment – When conventional goals blow up, we often go into self-criticism spirals. Time Flow System lets you adapt objectively—momentum is the win, not binary pass/fail judgments.
Continual Growth and Impact – Achieving arbitrary outcomes devoid of meaning ultimately leaves people unsatisfied. Actively manifesting your greatest callings nurtures limitless growth and positive ripple effects.
Enduring Clarity and Alignment – Many frameworks break down when life’s curveballs hit. But Northstars and Milestones are designed to evolve harmoniously with your growth trajectory, not against it.
Unlimited Adaptability – When obstacles used to shatter momentum, following the Time Flow system offers infinite flexibility to creatively adjust based on fresh input without derailing your entire path forward.
The road to your biggest dreams was never going to be easy—that’s the point. Following your deepest callings demands fortifying your character through arduous tests of resilience and resourcefulness.
But the Time Flow system lets you embrace that transformative growth adventure with a sense of joy, harmony and purpose connected to your core self—rather than through draining cycles of unrealistic expectations and self-punishment.
You’ll absolutely be challenged to ascend to continually greater heights. But your moment-to-moment experience becomes one of purposeful flow, progress celebration and deeply motivating meaning.
So take time to vividly capture your Northstar visions rooted in your deepest “whys.” Map out visible Milestones to build initial momentum. Optimize your lifestyle to flow in harmony with your aims.
Then simply start walking the path, adjusting your Milestones fluidly as life’s cycles demand, while relentlessly aimed at those guiding Northstars illuminating your potential.
Trust that if you stay dedicated to that ever-rolling rhythm of growth and impact, you’ll continually evolve into a bolder version of yourself while seeding an enduring positive legacy.
The Time Flow system can catalyze that profound transition, one motivated step after another. Let the adventure begin!
