Set your goals!

“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; anything your heart desires will come to you.”

We are seeking creatures, perpetually journeying from Point A to Point B, a journey that’s inherently built into our biology.

Our seeking and exploratory system (limbic system) is dopaminergic, meaning that every time we make any meaningful progress towards a defined Point B, we are rewarded with a dopamine kick.

This neurotransmitter gets us focused in one direction, and it’s reinforcing— the more valuable the goal, the higher your motivational force to pursue it.

This innate incentive reward system is a remarkable tool. When we set a genuine goal, dopamine acts in several ways:

• Transforming our intentions into action;
• Determining our perceptions and how the world manifests itself to us;
• Validating our frame of reference towards our goal;
• Activating our positive emotions and sense of fulfilment;
• Removing and alleviating pains;
• Regulating serotonin levels, which inform us of our sense of self-worth.

To disregard this intrinsic system is to neglect a divine aspect of our being. Yet, to activate it, all you need is to set a meaningful goal.

You won’t get what you need and want unless you aim for it. You won’t aim for it unless you know what it is. You can’t know what it is unless you think about what it is that you need and want.

So, what is the first week of the year for, if not to reflect and set meaningful goals?

“If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme when you wish upon a star, as dreamers do.”