19 Spiritual Goal Setting Examples

These powerful spiritual goal setting examples will help you renew and deepen your faith in ways you never thought possible.

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You may think that setting spiritual goals is only for people who are religious, but that’s not the case. Spiritual goals are the steps and objectives you make for yourself that bring you closer to spiritual wellness, not about the Holy Spirit. These specific goals are all about becoming one with your inner self and bringing a bigger sense of purpose to your life.

Again, spiritual wellness is not just about religion. Your spiritual wellness is when you take the time to think about what your role is in the world, and yes, think about that big scary question.

You do not have to answer that big scary question, but you should become aware of it. All of this will promote your spiritual wellness and help you gain inner peace and feel even more powerful in your every day life.

Anyone can have spiritual goals, even if you are not religious or don’t identify with a spiritual life. There are many types of goals: financial goals, professional goals, and dating goals. Why not have spiritual goals, too?

Going on a spiritual journey is a good idea if you’re pondering a spiritual practice or just want to find some personal growth for your daily life. It’s a great facet to add to your self-care routine and a great way to show yourself lots of love and get to know yourself better.

Plus, having spiritual goals, and working towards figuring out your place in the world, is powerful. Being able to help, and give back, gives you a sense of purpose and can lead to even more happiness. You will connect better with yourself, gain clarity on your life, and help you have even better control over yourself and your actions.

Now that you know why you should have spiritual goals, you are probably wondering what some good, tactical, spiritual goals are. Remember, you don’t to wait for a new year to set goals…now is always a good time to start!

Let your focus shift to where you want new perspectives. Also, to make sure you set achievable goals, consider making SMART goals to help you achieve your goals. Get a journal dedicated to your spirituality goals and stay on track.

19 Spiritual Goal Setting Examples and Ideas:

Here are some examples of spiritual goals you should consider making your own, too.

I want to get to know myself better.

You may already have a journal, but what are you writing about in it? If you are not writing about yourself, your thoughts, your feelings, your likes, your dislikes, your beliefs, your disbeliefs, and so on, you should start.

You probably think you already know all of this stuff in your head, but set aside time to put it down on paper— it will really give you perspective on who you are. This also gives you a good glimpse as to who you are in the present, which can help you improve and better yourself in the future.

I want to be more intentional.

Intentional goal setting should be part of your spiritual goal setting (and all of your goals such be intentional). They really do hand in hand. By having intentional goals, you are showing that you are serious about your goals and that they are meaningful on a deeper level.

You are being intentional with your time, and your days, and this helps you have a clear picture of what you want to do and get out of each day. This puts you in the driver seat of your own life rather than being in the passenger seat. If you need some help figuring out what some tangible, intentional goals are, here are 100 of them.

I want to be less controlling.

This may seem hypocritical after making a goal of being intentional. But a great spiritual goal is to let go of things that are out of your control. We tend to worry a ton about things we can’t change – whether they are things that happened in the past or things that may or may not happen in the future.

Letting go often means stepping out of our comfort zone, which is hard to do. This all prevents us from living in the present.

It also just brings stress and anxiety with it, making it impossible to relax your mind and soul. These spiritual goal examples are just a great starting point for the spiritual path you take to learn to let go.

I want to be thankful every day.

Let’s be honest – between work, dating, having a social life, bills, and the news, it can be really hard to be grateful. But showing gratitude is so important, especially for your mental health and your spiritual wellness. Show thanks for the roof over your head, the food you are able to eat, the fact that you have a job and have money coming in, or that you have family and friends who love you.

You can show this gratitude silently in your heart or you can write it down in a journal each day. It helps to set a specific time to practice gratitude to get into a habit, for example journaling for five minutes after you wake up or before you go to sleep.

I want to be more positive.

Showing thanks every day is a great step in becoming a more positive person. But we know how easy it is to not be positive nowadays. Being a glass half full person rather than a glass half empty can really change our lives, for the better.

In addition to writing down or thinking about the things you are grateful each day, write down or think about positive thoughts that you want to think about. This will help you focus on positivity, and not leave much room for those negative thoughts in your head. And next year, when you look back on the past year of intentional positivity, you may just find a huge shift in yourself.

I want to be more forgiving.

It can be hard to be forgiving. But holding a grudge will darken your mental peace and your heart.

Being able to forgive helps you move on in a healthy, and peaceful way. It also helps to clear misunderstanding and lead to a better relationship.

I want to spend more time alone.

You may think you spend plenty of time alone…but are you really alone or are you just by yourself and on your phone? If you’re on your phone and connected through texting or social media…you’re not really alone are you? Try to spend a few minutes each day truly alone.

No scrolling, no distracting. It will help you declutter your mind and organize your thoughts.

You can use this time to mediate or write in your journal. Keep your phone and other technology in a different room and be fully present with yourself. Being able to sit with yourself will lead to a more content life.

I want to read or listen to a Holy Book.

OK now you may be thinking “but you just said spiritual wellness does not have to be religious.” It’s still true! But if you are religious, use this as a way to strengthen your religion and better understand God’s word.

Read or listen to the Holy Book that’s part of your religion for a bit each day. Make it a goal to finish it the entire bible or book by end of the year. If you are not religious, you don’t have to participate in a bible study to set spiritual growth goals.

Find a book of your choice that has a spiritual connotation to it. Reading or listening to it each day can really benefit your mindset.

I want to attend spiritual services.

Again, they do not have to be religious. However, if you are associated with a religion, make it a habit of going to those services.

If you are not, it could be interesting to attend a local church or spiritual service and hear a different perspective of your own. You can also look into attending yoga classes or meditation classes, too.

I want to be less selfish.

We can all be a bit selfish at times, can’t we? Some of us more than others. But how can we stop being selfish?

Reach out to your friends and family just to check in and see how they are doing. Volunteer somewhere.

Post a kind review on social media for a brand you like or for something you just purchased. Try to do one act of service from another person each day.

I want to pay it forward.

This spiritual goal goes well with the goals of wanting to be less selfish and the goal of showing gratitude each day. By paying it forward, you are making someone else’s day by doing something for them…and that will make you feel good.

Nice ways to pay it forward are paying for the person behind you’s coffee, helping an older adult load groceries in their car, or baking treats for your local hospital staff, police officers, or firefighters.

I want to unplug more.

We have already mentioned the importance of unplugging to have some real alone time with yourself. Take your unplugging one step further. Have a “technology-free” hour each day.

When you are having dinner with your family, friends, or significant other, do not have your phone at your table with you. Turn of any televisions, laptops, computers, or tablets during dinner time, too. Fully be in the moment and converse with those around you.

I want a better diet.

We all know that eating healthy food is good for our body. But it’s good for our minds and spiritual wellness, too.

Food should be treated as fuel and not as a reward or punishment. Adopting this mindset can help us feel better about ourselves. Plus, if our body is feeling good, strong, and healthy, then we are too!

I want to see the best in people.

There are just some people we don’t like or don’t click with, for whatever reason. A lot of times, we fixate on the things we don’t like about them and it blinds us from any good within them. How much time do we spend judging or telling ourselves a negative story.

Instead of looking for, or looking at, the negative traits in others (and let’s be real, everyone has flaws, even you and me!), focus on the positive traits. It will take a conscious effort at first abut after. a short term you will see the shift!

I want to show gratitude to the people in my life.

Unfortunately, it is so easy to take people in our lives for granted, especially those that are closest to us. But we really shouldn’t! They are the ones there to support us, during the good and the bad.

We should be speaking kindly to them, showing them our thanks, and showing them that we are there for them, too. Make it a goal to reach out to a different friend each day or each week, even if it’s just a quick “thinking of you, hope you’re well!” text. You can also even show greater thanks by making it a goal to send one card or letter each month to a different person, showing your gratitude for them in your life.

I want to practice active listening.

We have a habit during conversations to think about what we are going to say next, or to jump in with advice, rather than really listen to what the other person is saying. We tend to listen for a bit and them give unsolicited advice or share a story of how we went through the same thing.

This is why listening better is a great spiritual goal to set. Show empathy for the situation your family or friend is telling you about. Being an active listener will really show them that you are there for them and that they can come to you, without judgement. A lot of times, people want to be heard more than they want advice, especially if it’s unsolicited advice.

I want to give more.

Inflation is crazy right now, and every penny counts. But if you have the means to give to others who many not have as much as you do, you may want to consider it. There is probably an organization that resonates with you or means a lot to you.

Set up a regular amount to give each month or each year. If you are unable to give money (which is totally OK!) give your time and attention. See if the organization has volunteer opportunities. Look if there is something going on in your community that you can participate in or help out at.

I want to host more.

If you have your own place, why not have people over? You enjoy your space, you should have your family and friends enjoy it too. Set a new goal to invite them over for dinner once a month.

If you are not much of a good, invite them over for a wine and cheese night. Or a board game night. Or a movie night.

It doesn’t have to be dinner to create a “once a month” tradition. You will feel good spending time, in the place you love, with the people you love and it will give you all something to look forward to each month.

I want to let go of bad habits.

We all have bad habits. Whether it’s that we go a bit too hard when we’re out or we care too much about trivial things like celebrity gossip, there are some vices that we know we would be better off if we stopped doing. Fill your life with meaningful hobbies that will take your attention and time away from your bad habits.

But remember, it is really hard to just stop a bad habit. If this is one of your big goals, think about the best ways you can replace a bad habit with a better one rather than go cold turkey on something.

Final Thoughts on These 19 Spiritual Goal Setting Examples

Setting spiritual goals for yourself can be challenging. It’s going to push you into a new realm of personal growth you might not have experienced before.

With time, effort, and smart goal setting, you’ll be on your want to a renewed and deeper faith in no time. I hope these spiritual goal setting examples gave you some direction. Let us know in the comments which ones resonate with you the most.

About the Author

Michelle graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelors of Arts ’13 and a Master of Arts ’14. She’s currently working in corporate America with a side of freelance writing. She wants you to learn from her experiences and mistakes so your 20s can be your best decade. When she’s not working, she’s likely planning her escape to a tropical island.