New year, new luck – as the saying goes. Especially at the beginning of the year, many people focus on their personal goals – although any day of the year would actually be suitable for that. This workshop is designed to help you truly achieve your goals and create the life you desire.
The new year has just begun, and for many of us, it's the perfect opportunity to work on personal goals with fresh motivation and maybe even tackle big dreams.
A survey by YouGov shows which resolutions are especially popular: 50% of respondents want to exercise more, 46% want to lose weight, and 41% aim to eat healthier. But other goals are also high on the list: saving money, spending more time with family or friends, quitting smoking, and drinking less alcohol.
New Year's Resolutions/figcaption>
But what do these numbers reveal about us as human beings? At first glance, they might look like a list of intentions – a collection of things we believe we “should do better.” But upon closer inspection, they tell a much deeper story: They reflect our longing for a fulfilling life. Behind them lies the desire for more energy, joy, and satisfaction. It’s about improving our well-being, being there for others, and staying true to ourselves. Every number in this statistic represents a dream, a hope – and the challenge of turning it into reality.
Maybe you see yourself in these resolutions. Maybe you too have often thought: This year, I’ll do things differently. This year, I’ll stick with it. But let’s be honest – how often has that optimism faded once everyday life returned? When the motivation that felt so strong at the beginning of the year suddenly got buried under stress, old habits, or simply feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone! This is exactly where many good resolutions fail. Not because the will is missing, but because it’s hard to break out of ingrained patterns on your own.
This is where our workshop comes in. It’s not just a collection of exercises, but an invitation to explore your goals on a deeper level. Because it’s not only about what you want to achieve, but also about why these goals are important to you. What truly drives you? What does change mean to you – and how does it feel to bring your desires to life, step by step?
A key aspect of this is recognizing that change is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but is the result of many small steps that bring you closer to your goal. That might seem daunting – but it’s also your opportunity. Because here lies the key: If you don’t just set out to “do better,” but equip yourself with the right tools to stay on track, you can achieve things you may have thought were impossible.
NLP offers you proven methods for this. But before we dive deeper into these techniques, let’s first take a moment to pause and ask yourself:
What do I want to change in my life?
Which areas do I want to look different than before?
What does “success” truly mean to me personally?
Find your own truth. Maybe it’s more time for yourself. Maybe it’s professional goals that challenge you. Or maybe it’s the need to focus on an area of your life that has been neglected. Whatever it is – this workshop is your space to shape these visions and find a path to achieve them.
Imagine how it will feel to look back at the end of this year and be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Not because everything went perfectly, but because you consciously chose to pursue change. This is where your journey begins – with clarity, with motivation, and with one step at a time. And the best part: you’re not alone. We’ll walk this path together.
"The slowest person who never loses sight of their goal still moves faster than the one who wanders aimlessly without a goal."
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
German poet of the Enlightenment
Goals are for me .
Since I got to know NLP, I love working with goals. The Dream Workshop is my favorite exercise. I do it at least once a year – usually for many hours. I set goals for all areas of life and deeply immerse myself in them, mentally experiencing them in advance and feeling completely fulfilled. Afterward, I look forward to life and the many opportunities it offers me.
In this magazine, we will always offer you at least one workshop. This is a deliberate choice, because we want to inspire you to regularly apply NLP in your relationship with yourself. By fully engaging in these workshops, you will dramatically expand your NLP skills and greatly enhance your quality of life.
Enjoy the workshop!
Yours, Stephan
The Wheel of Life
Step 1: Where do I stand?
The Wheel of Life is a popular and visually engaging method used in coaching and self-reflection. It helps you gain an overview of your life areas and discover where you want to grow. It offers a structured and simple way to see how satisfied you are in different aspects of life and where there’s still room for improvement.
Rad des Lebens
1. Assessing Life Areas:
Each segment represents an area of life and has a scale from 1 to 10, starting from the center of the circle (1 = very dissatisfied, 10 = very satisfied). Rate each area based on your current level of satisfaction. For example, if you are currently very satisfied with your “Health,” you might enter an 8 or 9. If your career still has many issues, maybe a 3 or 4.
2. Marking Your Satisfaction:
Mark the point in each segment that corresponds to your level of satisfaction, and color in the resulting section of the circle. This gives you a sort of "profile" of your life areas. The goal is to see at a glance where there is room for improvement.
3. Reflecting on the Results:
Which areas are you less satisfied with, and which are far from the center and in need of attention? Where are you satisfied and balanced?
4. Potential for Improvement:
Now choose two to three areas where you would like to feel more satisfied. Think of specific goals or actions that could help you improve in these areas.
5. Regular Review:
The Wheel of Life is not a one-time exercise. You can repeat it at regular intervals – for example, every few months – to see how your life areas have changed. This way, you not only recognize progress but can also intervene early if an area starts to become unbalanced again.
Example for clarification: Imagine you’ve filled out your Wheel of Life and notice that the area “Leisure, Play and Fun” is at a 3, while “Career” and “Finances” are both at an 8 or 9. This might indicate that you’re very focused on work and financial goals but neglecting your leisure time and hobbies. Here, you could set a goal to plan more time for things that bring you joy and help you relax.
Get Your Creative Energy Flowing
Step 2: Goal Setting
The Dream Workshop is one of the most important exercises in my life. It’s fun, inspiring, and sets your unconscious creative energy in motion. What would you do if you knew you would definitely succeed? Take a moment to reflect on that question. Why aren’t you doing it? Because you’re afraid you might not achieve it – or maybe you’re worried it wouldn’t be fun after all? Let go of that fear for now. Imagine you are a child just before Christmas. Imagine that everything is possible. There are no limits in time, money, or health. How would you like to live then? Please consider all aspects of your life (see the Wheel of Life) Dream and set goals. These can be small or big things. What matters is that you don’t censor yourself. Just write down everything that comes to mind. You can always rationalize later. Keep your pen moving and create the feeling within you that you’ve already achieved everything you’re writing down. As if you could already see it, hear it, and feel it. Immerse yourself in this process with all your senses. Enjoy it and allow yourself to dream wildly. What is your idea of an exciting, inspiring, powerful, and successful life? Now shape your life dream and write down as much as you can for each area. The questions on this page are here to inspire you. Write down short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Whatever comes to mind – just write it down. Try to be as detailed as possible when writing. Be aware that you don’t have to achieve all goals at once. On the contrary: realize that you have many years to do all the things you want to do.
Personal Growth
What new skills or knowledge would you like to learn in the coming year?
Which aspect of your personality would help you most if you could develop it further?
What book, seminar, or training could inspire and move you forward?
How would you like to handle challenges and setbacks more effectively?
What daily habit could you establish to consistently work on your personal growth?
Physical Health
What type of sport or physical activity would you like to regularly integrate into your daily routine?
Which eating habit would you like to change or improve to feel better?
How many hours of sleep do you need to feel truly rested and productive?
What could you do to bring more relaxation and less stress into your life?
What preventive health measures would you like to take to stay fit and healthy in the long term?
Partnership and Family
What shared activities or rituals would you like to establish in your partnership or family?
How could you spend more quality time with your loved ones, even with a busy schedule?
Is there something you’d like to improve or clarify in your relationships?
What habit could you develop to regularly show your affection and gratitude?
How could you strengthen communication in your partnership or family to avoid misunderstandings?
Career and Profession
What professional goal would you like to achieve in the coming months?
What skills or expertise could help you advance in your career?
Is there a project or challenge you’d like to take on to grow?
How would you like to design your work environment to be more productive and satisfied?
What steps could you take to prepare for a leadership role or a new position?
Finances and Wealth
What financial habit could you establish to reach your savings goals?
Is there an investment (e.g. in education, retirement) you’d like to make for your future?
How would you adjust your monthly budget to better control your expenses?
What additional income sources could you tap into to increase your wealth?
What concrete steps could you take to achieve financial security and independence?
Social Responsibility
Is there a charitable organization or project that is close to your heart and that you would like to support?
How could you use your skills or time to make a positive contribution to society?
What small changes could you make in your everyday life to live more sustainably and environmentally conscious?
What topics or values are so important to you that you want to stand up for them publicly?
How can you inspire or motivate people around you to take responsibility as well?
Leisure, Play, and Fun
Which hobbies or interests would you like to revive or discover anew in your life?
What truly brings you joy and relaxation, and how could you make more time for it?
Is there an adventure or experience you’ve always wanted to try?
How would you like to spend your free days and weekends to recharge your energy?
What regular activity could you introduce to bring more ease and fun into your everyday life?
If you’ve now written down everything that comes to mind, take another look at your goals and add a small number to each one – indicating by when you'd like to achieve it. Do this roughly (e.g. 10 years = 10, 2 months = 2 mo, etc.).
Well done!
Did you enjoy this exercise? Were you able to truly dive into your dream life? Take another look at the result. How do you feel when you imagine this as your life? If the feeling is only average, throw away what you’ve written and repeat the exercise at a later time. The draft of your life should excite you so much that you’d be willing to get up early and go to bed late just to make it a reality, all while feeling full of energy. Take time for this exercise regularly and repeat it often. It’s not about always having new goals, but about reconnecting with the energy of your goals from time to time. Add new goals to the list whenever you like. The more you work with your list and apply the methods presented here, the better it will serve you.
What Do You Really Want?
Step 3: Set Your Annual Goals
This exercise is about identifying a clear, motivating main goal for each of your most important life areas. These goals will give you a clear direction for the year ahead and help you act with focus and purpose in every area.
Close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. Visualize how you want to feel at the end of the year when you reflect on each life area. Imagine how satisfied and fulfilled you are and how positively this change has impacted your life.
Now go through your list from the goal-setting workshop again and identify one key goal for each area. Ask yourself: What is most important to me in this area? What do I want to have achieved by the end of the year? What is a concrete goal that will help me move forward here?
Write down your main annual goal for each area. Be clear and specific (see also Step 4). Make sure your goals are motivating and precise.
Examples
Personal Growth: I want to read at least 12 books on personal development this year and engage in monthly training to keep learning and growing.
Physical Health: I will exercise three times a week and eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to boost my energy and well-being.
Partnership and Family: Organize a regular family or partner evening once a month to spend quality time together.
Career and Profession: Obtain a new professional certificate or attend a training course that enhances my career prospects.
Finances and Wealth: Save 10% of my income each month and keep track of my monthly expenses.
Social Responsibility: Volunteer once a quarter or participate in a charitable event.
Leisure, Play, and Fun: Try at least one new hobby or adventure each month that brings me joy.
Very few people just get into their car and drive off without a destination. But in life, most people behave exactly like that. Without direction or purpose, they hope to someday arrive at true happiness. Where exactly that is? They don’t know. The great philosopher Seneca once said: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” So where is your port? Where do you want to go?
Goals give our lives direction and meaning. Imagine you want to buy a train ticket and say to the ticket clerk, “I’d like to buy a ticket.” He will ask you, “Where do you want to go?” and you respond, “I don’t know – somewhere.” He will answer, “Then I can’t sell you a ticket. I need a clear destination.”
It’s the same with our consciousness. It needs a clear target, or it can’t work for us. You cannot achieve something you cannot imagine. Without a goal to align yourself with, every piece of information and every event is equally meaningless. You’re like a ship without a rudder – at the mercy of the winds and tides. But if you have clear goals, you are a ship with rudder, sails, and engine, sailing straight toward your destination.
The main reasons for failure or slow progress are vagueness, confusion, and the inability to decide precisely what one wants and how to achieve it. If you don’t set priorities in your everyday life, if you don’t know what your next goal is, then progress will be slow. You will drift from one thing to the next and end many days without having accomplished anything. You’ll become a plaything of external influences. Having clear personal goals and taking personal responsibility are key factors for professional success and quality of life.
Goals are powerful tools that shape our actions and thoughts. They provide direction, motivate, and inspire us. Through their clear focus, they develop a strong pull and often work on a subconscious level. Goals enhance our creativity by triggering new ideas and solutions, and they shift our perception by focusing our attention on opportunities and possibilities.
The Magnetic Pull of Goals
Once you’ve committed to a goal, it begins to exert a strong attraction. The goal starts to pull you toward it. Goals have the greatest pull when they are challenging and demanding, yet still attainable.
Goals Also Work Subconsciously
Our goals don’t just influence us consciously, but also subconsciously. Our subconscious plays a major role in the course and success of our lives. To allow it to support us in reaching our goals, we should visualize our goals as often as possible — that means imagining them with vivid pictures and emotions, as if we’ve already achieved them.
Goals Foster Creativity
Our creativity needs a trigger. It is only when we have a clear intention that creativity kicks in and begins to seek a path toward realization. After Hannibal firmly decided to attack Rome, he said: “We will either find a way or make one.” His goal fueled his creativity and led him, in 218 BC, to march with his army of 50,000 men and 39 elephants across the Alps to invade Italy.
Goals Change Perception
When you focus your attention on a goal, you start to notice people, resources, information, and opportunities that help you achieve it. It’s as if clear goals sharpen your senses to detect exactly what supports your journey toward achievement.
Is Your Goal Truly Clear?
Step 4: Formulate Your Annual Goals
Every year, especially on New Year’s Eve, people set resolutions: “I want to lose weight. I want to spend more time with my kids. I want to earn more money.” But these are just hopeful wishes. Often, they’re forgotten shortly afterward or fall victim to old habits. Self-discipline was overestimated or defeated by inner resistance. It’s all too easy to find excuses and justifications. No wonder — the statements above are too vague and imprecise. Goals need to be concrete and measurable – only then can they unleash their full power and align us, consciously and subconsciously, with their fulfillment. Clear goals are one of the most important factors for success.
This word can help you remember what belongs to a well-formed goal.
Positive: Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Don’t say: “I never want to embarrass myself during a presentation again.” Instead, say: “I want to enjoy presenting and connect well with the participants.” Direct your attention toward a positive goal.
Active Participation: What is your personal contribution to achieving this goal? What can you actively do yourself? A well-formulated goal does not mean others do all the work – it describes your own involvement.
Specific: Visualize your goal as clearly as possible. What will you hear, see, feel, smell, or taste when you've achieved it? Describe the goal using all your senses. A goal is truly specific only when you have a clear picture of it. Ask yourself: “Who, where, when, what, and how exactly?”
Evidence: What is the tangible, sensory proof that lets you know you’ve achieved your goal? How will you know it’s done and that you’ve received what you wanted?
Resources: What resources do you need to reach your goal? Which ones do you already have? What do you need to learn or acquire? Who can help you? Resources include money, time, skills, and other people.
Balanced Size: Some people are motivated only by really big goals and put in maximum effort. A goal that’s too small doesn’t seem worth the trouble. Others won’t even start on huge goals and need smaller milestones that can be achieved in a manageable time. How do you eat an elephant? The old answer: One bite at a time. The new answer: You don’t – elephants are protected by law.
Set milestone goals and work on them step by step. Link smaller goals to their deeper purpose for extra motivation. Ask yourself: What benefit will I get if I achieve this goal?
Ecology Frame: A commonly overlooked step in goal setting is the so-called "ecology check." It ensures that your goal truly fits your life and values. Ask yourself: What are the consequences if I achieve this goal? How will it change my life? Who else will be affected? What impact will it have on the larger system? What price will you pay for achieving it? Example: A father decides to work longer and harder to bring more money home. A possible consequence: less time with his family. How can he avoid negative effects on his family system? NLP encourages you to honestly examine whether your goal actually enhances your quality of life or may bring new challenges.
The clearer the goal – the clearer the success
You’re up!
With every goal, ask yourself: Do I really want this? Or is it just a goal because others expect it of me? Does it truly come from my heart? Place your hand on your heart and connect with yourself. Listen and feel inward: “Does this goal feel good for me? Is it truly mine?”
Now formulate all your annual goals using this method. Make sure your goals are truly clear. It’s best to do this exercise with a partner in an NLP practice group. It really makes a big difference to have a coach by your side. The results will be much more profound and precise.
Your Success Begins in Your Mind
Step 5: The Power of Visualization
This visualization exercise helps you create a clear and vivid image of how it feels to have already achieved your goal. By involving all your senses and generating positive emotions, you build powerful internal motivation to support you on your journey.
1. Get comfortable and relax.
Sit or lie down in a quiet place and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths in and out to calm yourself and relax your mind. Notice how your body becomes more relaxed and your breathing slows down. Imagine all stress or tension melting away.
2. Focus on your goal.
Now think about the goal you want to achieve. Take a moment to clearly visualize it in your mind. Phrase it in a positive sentence, for example: “I have successfully completed my professional training and am enjoying the new opportunities now available to me.”
3. Imagine your goal is already achieved.
Now comes the exciting part: Imagine you are in the future and have already completely achieved your goal. Visualize a clear image of that moment. See yourself in the situation where your goal is fulfilled, and picture the scene in full detail. It should feel as if you are experiencing that success right now.
4. Activate all your senses:
See, hear, feel, smell, and taste the success. Make the visualization as vivid as possible by involving all your senses:
Seeing: What do you see? What does your environment look like? What colors, shapes, and details stand out? Imagine observing yourself or your surroundings as you’ve achieved your goal. Is it a place, an event, a situation?
Hearing: What sounds do you hear? Are there voices, music, or nature sounds? Maybe you hear congratulations from friends or the sound of applause? Let the sounds become part of your vision.
Feeling: How does the moment feel? Do you feel relieved, proud, happy? Notice the physical sensations in your body. Maybe your heart is pounding with joy, or your shoulders are relaxed. Enjoy these positive emotions.
Smelling: Are there specific scents in this situation? Maybe you smell fresh air, the aroma of a celebratory dinner, or the scent of your work materials. Connect this sense to your visualization too.
Tasting: If it fits the moment, include taste. Perhaps you're celebrating with a drink or meal, or just tasting the fresh air of success.
5. Amplify the positive emotions.
Become aware of and intensify the positive emotions created by the visualization. Feel the joy, pride, and gratitude for having achieved your goal. How strong would your success feel if you could feel this way now? Allow yourself to fully experience these emotions. To enhance the experience, you can use NLP submodalities. Try experimenting: make the inner images larger, the voices and sounds louder. Maybe even imagine a soundtrack playing as you reach your goal. Switch from an associated to a dissociated perspective and observe how it changes the feeling.
6. Anchor the visualization.
To store this positive experience and access it anytime, you can anchor the feeling. Use the anchoring technique: for example, gently press your thumb and index finger together while feeling the joy of success. This way, you can recall the feeling later by repeating the gesture. This anchor will help you in moments when you want to boost your motivation.
7. Return slowly to the present moment.
Take a few deep breaths and begin to focus on your surroundings again. Feel the ground beneath you and your body in space. Slowly open your eyes and take a moment to let the positive emotions linger.
8. Write down your experience.
Take your notebook and write down how you felt during the visualization. Note all the details you perceived and describe the positive emotions you experienced. These notes will help you refresh the visualization whenever needed and remind yourself how success feels.
9. Visualize regularly.
Repeat this visualization exercise regularly, for example once a week or whenever you want to boost your motivation. The more often you visualize your success, the stronger your inner drive will become to turn that vision into reality.
Benefits of the Visualization Exercise
This visualization exercise is a powerful method to focus your mind on your goal and generate the motivation needed to achieve it. When you consistently picture your goal and emotionally experience its success, your brain becomes aligned with taking the necessary steps to make that vision real. Positive emotions give you the energy to stay on track, even through challenges, and help you consistently focus on your goal.
Through regular visualization, you anchor the belief in your subconscious that you can achieve your goal – and develop the conviction that success is inevitable. This exercise is simple and requires no special tools, but it can have a huge impact if practiced consistently and with commitment.
To conclude this goal-setting process, I invite you to make a conscious and emotional decision for your goal. In this exercise, you will commit fully and wholeheartedly to your goal. You’ll make an emotional promise and anchor your goal deep in your heart, so that you’re motivated and ready to take the necessary steps.
1. Prepare the space.
Find a quiet, undisturbed place. If you like, light a candle or keep a small object with you that represents your goal. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths to relax and prepare for the exercise.
2. Visualize your goal once more.
Take a moment to clearly bring to mind the goal you want to commit to. Imagine again how it feels to have already achieved it (you can refer to the previous visualization exercise). Feel the positive emotions associated with reaching your goal, and allow them to rise within you.
3. Ask yourself: Why is this goal important to me?
Take a few minutes to answer the question “Why is this goal so important to me?” as honestly and thoroughly as possible.
The clearer and deeper your understanding of why you want to achieve this goal, the stronger your commitment will be. Maybe it’s about personal fulfillment, more joy, or a deeper sense of self-efficacy. Write down everything that comes to mind.
4. Put your commitment into words.
Now express in clear, decisive words that you consciously commit to this goal. Your commitment statement might sound like:
“Today, I consciously and wholeheartedly choose to achieve this goal.”
“I am ready to take the steps necessary to make this goal a reality.”
“I commit to pursuing this goal with joy, perseverance, and determination.”
5. Write this sentence down and read it aloud or silently several times.
Feel the power of the words and notice how this decision feels. Let your determination grow within you.
6. Create an anchoring ritual for your commitment.
To strengthen your commitment even more, create a small anchoring ritual that you can repeat to remind yourself of your decision. Here are some ideas:
Symbolic object: Choose a small item (e.g., a stone, a shell, a piece of jewelry) that symbolizes your goal. Keep it with you or place it somewhere visible to remind you daily of your commitment.
Physical gesture: Use a small gesture (e.g., placing your hand on your heart or pressing your thumb and index finger together) while consciously focusing on your commitment. Repeat this gesture whenever you want to boost your motivation or recall your goal.
Affirmation: Repeat your commitment affirmation every morning and evening. Say it out loud or in your mind, and feel the determination growing inside you.
7. Reflect on Possible Challenges.
To deepen your commitment, take a moment to reflect on potential challenges or obstacles.
Ask yourself: What could prevent me from achieving my goal? How will I deal with it? Write down possible obstacles and your strategies for handling them. Knowing that you are prepared strengthens your commitment.
8. Declare Your Commitment Publicly (Optional).
If you want to boost your motivation, you can make your commitment public. Tell a friend about your goal and your decision to achieve it. Alternatively, you can write or record your commitment digitally and keep it somewhere you'll see it regularly. Making it public often increases motivation, as it creates a sense of accountability to yourself and others.
9. End the Exercise with Gratitude.
Conclude the exercise by spending a moment in gratitude. Thank yourself for being willing to commit to this goal and for taking responsibility for your growth. Feel how gratitude spreads within you and carry that positive energy into your daily life.
Gratitude is the secret to a fulfilling life.
This exercise doesn’t end here. Use your symbolic object, your affirmation, or your physical gesture to regularly remind yourself of your commitment. Every morning or evening, take a few minutes to recall why you want to achieve this goal and how important your decision is to you. The more often you reconnect with your commitment, the stronger your motivation will be to follow through – even during difficult phases – and ultimately achieve your goal.
DE
