What is the Purpose of Setting Goals?
Feb 27, 2026Summary
Have you ever wondered if you could simply stop the hustle and live life without the constant pressure of goals and progress? It’s a tempting thought, especially when you are exhausted! But there is a reason that sitting in "limbo" feels so unnatural and frustrating to your soul. In this episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson and advisory board member Amanda Powell answer the essential question: What is the purpose of setting goals?
We move from just "getting things done" to "becoming who you were meant to be" by revealing that goal-seeking is actually divinely inherent in you—patterned after God Himself! We discuss the pain of "Limbo Fatigue" and why holding still is often the hardest thing for a growing spirit to do. Amanda also shares a powerful, raw story about how a 14-day migraine forced her to completely pause her exciting new business goals to spend a year focusing on yoga and physical healing. If you are feeling stuck in a waiting place or frustrated by a detour, this episode will help you understand that flexibility isn't failure—it's being Spirit-led.
Episode Takeaways
- The DNA of Progress: Why do even 5-year-olds have goals (like winning a game)? Because the desire to progress is divinely inherent in us. God is a goal-setter ("to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"), and we inherited that trait. The purpose of goals isn't perfection; it is becoming.
- Limbo Fatigue: If you are frustrated by being stuck in a "waiting place," don't feel guilty. That frustration is simply proof that your spirit is hungry for growth. Limbo is often a training ground for your next big stretch.
- The Mountain Principle: Goals keep life an adventure. Just like a child wants to climb a mountain simply "because it is there," goals add a sense of learning, excitement, and forward momentum to our daily lives.
- The Divine Pivot: Amanda quit her job to start a business, but was hit with a 14-day migraine. She had to ask God: "Is this the right goal?" The answer was no—her goal for that year needed to be healing her body through yoga. Sometimes the purpose of a goal is to lead you to the real goal God has for you.
Resources
Are you feeling stuck in limbo and unsure of your next step? Download our FREE Guide to Goal Setting. It features the "Sacred Brainstorm" worksheet to help you determine if your current goal is aligned with God's timing. 👉 Download the Guide Here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/offers/WyaLn2gS/checkout
Need accountability? Check out our Women Warriors Accountability Group for free for two weeks! https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/join-now
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever wished you could just "stop" having goals? When you are forced to sit still (limbo), how does your spirit react?
- Do you view your goals as a checklist of things to get done, or as a process of becoming?
- Think about a time you were super excited about a goal, but God hit the "pause" button (like Amanda's business). What did you learn during that detour?
- Ask yourself: "Is my current goal the right goal for this specific season of my life?"
Guest & Host
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Amanda Powell @abundance_principles_
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.480 - 00:02:05.810
Have you ever wondered if you could simply stop the hustle and live life without the constant pressure of goals and progress? I tell you what, it's a tempting thought, especially on those days when you're exhausted.
But there is a reason that sitting in limbo feels so unnatural and frustrating to your soul. Today we're answering this essential question. What is the purpose of setting goals?
And by the end of today's episode, you will understand how goal seeking is actually divinely inherent in you. Patterned after God himself.
We're going to help you solve the pain of limbo fatigue by revealing why the waiting place is often just a training grounds for your next big stretch. We're moving from getting things done to becoming who you were meant to be. Stay tuned. Ordinary women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes.
The Arise Women of God Podcast hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God Podcast.
I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, and joining me today is Amanda Powell, a member of our Women warriors of Light advisory board, an amazing expert on goal setting. And today we're looking at the DNA of progress.
First, we're going to discuss why goal setting is a divine attribute inherited from our Heavenly Father. Second, we'll tackle the frustrating living in limbo, why holding still is sometimes the hardest thing for a growing soul to do.
Third, we'll share the climb the mountain principle and why goals are the key to keeping life an adventure.
And finally, Amanda is going to share a powerful story about how a Fortune 18 day migraine forced her to pivot from business goals to a year of yoga and health led growth. But first, let's kick it off by discussing the purpose of goals.
Amanda Powell
00:02:05.970 - 00:02:11.570
You know, I, I, let's think about that for a minute. I would love to just go there. Could we live life without it?
Tamara K. Anderson
00:02:12.370 - 00:02:25.260
I don't think I could. I am too much of a doer.
I have a little bit of ADHD in me and so the thought of sitting still and doing nothing would probably drive me absolutely batty. So I couldn't do it.
Amanda Powell
00:02:25.740 - 00:03:36.360
I don't know if any of us could do it. Like, that's why I asked you that. Because even my young, young adult children, right, they have always had a goal.
Mom, I'm gonna hit the ball over the fence. I'm gonna have my first home run hit, right? Oh, I'm gonna run and I'm gonna run so fast. I'm gonna run this mile in four minutes, right?
Like so at the age of little, like even my grandson, I'm looking at my grandson who's five and even he has goals. I'm going to come in first place when I play this game with my dad, right?
So I'm kind of looking at that and I think, and I'm wondering, this is my thought. Is it because it's divinely inherent in us? I mean, even our Father has a goal, right? To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
Maybe it's something that is within us and you remove the goal, right? You remove us from being goal seekers and goal doers and goal achievers to not having goals. Then what are we doing?
So I almost feel like there is a purpose to having goals. It's something inside of us that makes us want to become something better. You don't become without a goal.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:03:36.600 - 00:04:54.360
We are built to become. And that becoming process is the entire point of our existence.
But when that process hits the pause button, when we are stuck in what I call the limbo phase, it feels like we're failing at life. And that just sucks. In reality, that frustration is just proof that your spirit is hungry for growth.
And I. I look back on the times in my life when it's like we're on pause and we're in limbo and we're waiting for something to happen so that we can take that next step. And I will say those are some of the most frustrating points in my life. I look back and I just. I'm like, come on, hurry up already.
It's like holding still, even metaphysically, is so hard. It's so hard. So I think the purpose of setting goals is growth.
Our growth, whether it's spiritually, physically, emotionally, whether it's financially. I mean, there are so many different areas in which you can set goals. So the purpose of goals is growth. It's experience, it's knowledge.
It's becoming better than we are right at this point in our lives, right?
Amanda Powell
00:04:55.160 - 00:05:45.530
Yeah. I really love that the purpose is. Is the growth. And I love that it's the becoming. And that's probably why we don't like the waiting place, right?
We don't love those places of weight because we feel there's no growth. We feel like. And. And it doesn't. That just excite you? Like, that just makes me so excited to think that within us, we want to grow.
We want to be stretched. Maybe. Maybe just a little, right? Maybe not too much. That's me. Anyway. Okay. Heavenly Father, I'm ready for a little stretch. And then he goes.
And I'm like, too much. Slow down. Right? But I think that's that just excites me to think that there's something driving us forward, and that would be those goals.
They drive us forward. They move us forward. They. Yeah, that's exciting.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:05:46.329 - 00:06:33.800
It's all about the adventure, my friends. I remember being a little girl and looking at a mountain and wanting to climb it simply because it was there.
Goals add that sense, sense of learning and adventure to our lives. But what happens when the excitement dies? What if you're pushing for a goal that just isn't clicking anymore?
That's when you have to ask God if you're actually aligned with him and his will. Sometimes the purpose of setting a goal is to lead you to the real goal God has for you.
Amanda is now going to share a story about how she had a business plan. Plan all ready to go. But God used a physical trial to help show her she needed a different kind of growth first to begin with,
Amanda Powell
00:06:33.800 - 00:08:44.060
or maybe if you've lost the excitement, there's a question that you could ask. Is this goal the right goal for me? Right. Like, maybe my goal is not aligned. Maybe I have a goal that is just.
- I set this goal because this is what everybody else is doing or this is what I think that I need. Okay? So, for example, a couple of years ago, I had a goal and I quit my job with the districts. I was going to go out on my own.
I was going to do my business, and I was super, super excited about it, you guys, like, so excited about it. So I do that, and I wind up with migraine headaches for 14 days straight.
And through all of that, I found a lot of things going on in the back of my neck. And. And it put a hold on it, right? And so I kind of had to stop.
And I was like, hey, now I'm getting frustrated because I'm not reaching this goal, but I can't reach this goal. So I had to ask that question, is this the right goal at this time? And the answer was no. The goal for me was to learn about health.
I needed to make some changes. I needed to learn about yoga. I needed to learn about things that would help relieve the pain in my neck, you know?
And it was a year of such growth for me. But it was. It was also a year of a little bit of frustration, too, because it was changing things that were just so autopilot for me, right?
Complete autopilot. And now I had to change some things, like yoga. You guys, really, I am like weights and let's get out and walk.
And now I'm Doing yoga, and I didn't even know my body could move like that. Like, holy cow. Or hurt like that. Like, never in my life have I experienced so much physical pain than my time in yoga, right?
But oh, my gosh, it's something now that I love to have in my life. Like, I am just, like, I get up and I'm like, oh, I'm stiff. I gotta move my body, right?
And had I not checked in with myself and said, and my heavenly Father, is this the right goal? It wasn't the right goal. I had to put that on pause, and I had to shift to my health, figure out this, and then, guess what?
A year later, it was time.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:44.060 - 00:10:04.060
For this goal, Amanda had to pause her business and prioritize her body and her health. Flexibility is not failure. It's being spirit led. When you check in with God, he'll tell you if it's time to push or to pivot.
As we close today, remember that a goal that moves you forward is never a wasted effort, even if the destination changes. The purpose of goals isn't to reach a state of perfection. It's to stay in a state of progression.
Whether you're climbing a mountain or learning to breathe through a yoga pose, you are honoring the divine instinct God has placed inside of you.
So, my friends, if you're feeling stuck in that limbo phase or you're ready to find your next right step, go download our free A Guide to Goal Setting for Christian Women. It features the sacred brainstorm to help you determine if your current goal is aligned with God's timing.
And if you're looking for a community of women who will help you celebrate during those stretch and pivot times, go check out our Women warriors of Light accountability group. The links are in the notes below. So, my friend, go climb your mountain today or take a baby step towards your next goal.
With God's help, until next time, may you arise. Do it God's way. Godstrong.
