We’ve all experienced the frustration of setting ambitious goals only to lose momentum after a week. Most goal-setting approaches fail because they focus too much on doing and not enough on being. In other words, they’re all action and no soul.
But what if we approached goal setting from a different perspective—one that starts with Spirit and flows through the body? This is where the SGH;MVH model comes into play: Spirit, Gut, and Heart; Mind, Voice, and Hands. The first half of this model focuses on aligning your vision with your deepest truth, and the second half makes that vision real.
We’ll walk through how to move from vision to the one project that excites your soul and aligns with who you are “at your most easeful levels of being” as Deida says in The Way of the Superior Man.
Let’s begin.
Spirit— The Home your Vision Dwells In
Before we even talk about doing anything, we need to address the why. Your spirit is where your true, authentic vision lives. This isn’t about setting a goal just because you should or because society says it’s impressive.
This is about doing nothing.
Yes, you heard that right.
Do nothing.
A cup that’s already full cannot accept new water.
Ever hear that story about the man who went to the monk and asked, "What is my life’s purpose?" The monk led him to the edge of a pond and told him to look at his reflection. But before he could see anything, the monk started throwing pebbles. Annoyed, the man said, "I can’t see because of the ripples." The monk smiled and replied, "Exactly, just like your mind can’t reflect your purpose amidst all its own noise."
These ripples? They’re the voices of others—society’s chatter, self-judgment, podcasts that insist you must "hustle 24/7." But to truly feel your vision, it must arise from within, like a bubbling spring, not a roaring river of opinions.
Most people can’t stomach the boredom of waiting for their vision. And because they lack faith, they borrow someone else’s dream and call it their own.
It’s no wonder that a 2006 study in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who set intrinsic goals, those rooted in their authentic selves, were more likely to achieve happiness and fulfillment than those chasing fame, money, or other extrinsic rewards.
As Rick Rubin, the legendary music producer, says, "Boredom is a gateway to creativity." When we’re bored, we’re forced to sit with ourselves. And in that stillness, visions emerge. Intuitively, we know this.
Practice Creating Space for Boredom
So how do we get to that stillness? Camping.
Before you dismiss this as cliché, think about it: when was the last time you were alone with nature?
No phones. No screens. Just you, your thoughts, and the world around you. For six months, I worked relentlessly on a business that left me more burnt out than fulfilled. My shoulders bore the weight of expectations, failure, and the pressing need to succeed. What stoked my spirit back to life wasn’t grinding harder. It was camping. Pure, simple camping.
There’s something magical about sitting next to a fire, watching the embers float away while everything else fades. The trees don’t care about your failed business venture, your unread emails, or your hustle plan. They’re just there, doing tree things.
How to Do It:
No devices. Seriously. Leave them behind.
Bring minimal gear. A tent, foam pad, and sleeping bag (rest and recovery, check). A lighter for fire, a small pan, two liters of water per day, cheese and eggs (hydration and nutrition, check). A journal and pen (capture insights, check). That’s it.
Journal, but don’t force it. This isn’t about ticking off a "5-year-plan" template. It’s about letting your vision find you.
I remember during my recent trip to Sumbawa, I spent three weeks camping in remote wilderness, away from the chaos of modern life. The plan was simple: disconnect from the world, reconnect with myself. I had been working relentlessly on a business that left me more burnt out than fulfilled, and I needed a reset.
I had no phone or email access while camping, just the sound of the ocean, the wind in the trees, and my own thoughts. The first few days were rough—my mind was full of the usual noise: the failures, the missed opportunities, the ‘what-ifs.’ But by the third day, something shifted. The ripples settled, and I felt a deep calm come over me. I didn’t think my way to clarity; it just arose, like the waves lapping at the shore. My vision wasn’t a neatly outlined business plan; it was a simple yet profound realization: I wanted to help people reconnect with themselves through nature and soulful entrepreneurship.
That vision didn’t come through hustle or grinding—it came through stillness. I gave my spirit the space to speak, and it did.
Brainstorming Projects to Bring the Vision to Life
Once the felt-vision arises, the next step is to brainstorm projects that could bring that vision to life. You’re not choosing one project just yet—you’re exploring different possibilities.
I’ll use my own vision to help illustrate, and you can follow along with your own. My vision is to help humans reconnect with themselves through soulful entrepreneurship and nature immersion. There are many ways to manifest that vision:
Organizing wilderness retreats.
Writing a book about nature’s healing power.
Launching a YouTube channel focused on adventure and survival skills.
Starting a podcast interviewing people who have rediscovered nature.
Developing an online course about rewilding daily life.
Launching a weekly newsletter.
Launching a course to help people end procrastination on their deepest passions.
Practice Brainstorming: Write down 4-7 potential projects. Don’t worry about picking the "right" one yet. Just let your creativity flow and jot down whatever comes to mind.
Gut—Narrowing Down the Projects
Now it’s time to check in with your gut. Take each of the projects you brainstormed and ask yourself: Which ones excite me? Your gut is your intuitive guide, and it knows what you’re truly passionate about.
At this stage, you’re narrowing down your list, but you don’t have to cut it to one just yet. Let’s continue with the example of reconnecting people with themselves through soulful entrepreneurship. After running through the options, I narrow it down to a weekly newsletter, an End Procrastination course, and wilderness retreats.
The Gut Check
I had been playing around with the idea of running wilderness retreats. On paper, it seemed like the perfect blend of nature and entrepreneurship. But every time I thought about the logistics—booking accommodations, managing a group—it felt heavy. On the other hand, when I thought about launching an online course on procrastination, my gut lit up. I could see myself creating the content, interacting with students, and getting excited about it.
That’s when I knew: my gut was telling me where my energy wanted to go. The retreats were a "smart" idea, but the course felt alive.
Practice the Gut Check:
Ask yourself, "Does this project light me up?"
If you’re giving yourself reasons for why a project should excite you, it’s not the one. Gut feelings don’t need justification.
Heart—Aligning with Your Values
Next, we bring in the heart. You may have projects that excite your gut, but do they align with your core values? Your heart is where your deepest truths live. For each of the remaining projects, ask yourself, Does this project reflect who I am at my core?
My core values are adventure, authenticity, and connection. When I looked at the online course and newsletter, both felt aligned with those values. But the course, specifically about ending procrastination, resonated deeply with my value of authenticity—helping people show up as their most genuine selves by taking action on their deepest desires.
Practice Heart Alignment:
Write down your top five values. Now, look at your remaining projects. Which ones feel true to who you are?
Gut Check (Again!)—Finding the Vision-Project
Now, you’re left with two projects. Go back to your gut and ask, Which one feels just slightly more exciting? This isn’t about a major revelation—just that small, quiet spark of excitement.
For me, it came down to the newsletter and the End Procrastination course. Both excited me, but when I imagined waking up every morning, I found myself more enthusiastic about creating the course. There was a little more energy behind it, a little more "juice."
Practice Tip:
Between the last two projects, ask yourself: "Which one feels like it’s calling me just a bit louder?" That’s your Vision-Project.
Conclusion:
This first part of the SGH;MVH model—Spirit, Gut, Heart—is where most people go wrong. It’s not that they lack ambition. It’s that they lack patience. In a world that glorifies doing, they’ve forgotten how to be. They’ve forgotten how to let visions arise organically. We’ve been trained to believe that we must do something to feel something, but the truth is simpler: We are feelings first, and what we feel is what makes the world.
Take a break from "doing." Spend time with nature, with stillness. Let your spirit breathe and your vision arise.
P.S. Spoiler alert: After launching the End Procrastination Course the next vision-project where I felt most alive was this newsletter. The newsletter was also inspired by the Write-of-Passage program under David Perrel’s leadership –it gave me the energy and clarity to finally launch!