May the year 2025 bring you joy, growth, and fulfillment in all areas of your life. Here's to embracing each moment with curiosity, courage and an open heart!

Do you have concrete wishes for this year? Are you someone who sets goals and makes lists, or do you prefer to go with the flow, taking each day as it comes?

I’ve been reflecting on the merits of both approaches and find that each has its challenges and benefits.

Should You Go with the Flow or Set Goals?

Setting Goals

Potential Challenges
The quality of your goals is directly influenced by the quality of the questions you ask. How do you know what you truly want, or what is most important. As for example, "How can I increase my income?" might take you down a different path than asking yourself "How can I increase my income long-term without having to give up the things I love?"

Your goals might not solely be your own. They might be coloured by what you think is expected of you by your family, work or your community.

Goals and priorities naturally evolve over time. It’s easy to get stuck on a path that no longer aligns with your needs or values. Letting go of outdated goals can feel like failure or giving up, when in reality, it’s often an act of courage and self-awareness.

Potential Benefits

There are many ways to work toward achieving your goals, and often, the system you create to reach them becomes more valuable than the goal itself (James Clear creator of Atomic Habits). A well-designed system helps you avoid distractions and encourages you to consistently take the actions necessary to achieve the deeper satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment you are after.

Going With The Flow

This is a less clear-cut path than goal setting and can mean different things to different people. The preference of 'going with the flow' might stem from a need to resist the prominent paradigm that values economic productivity above anything else. Or it might originate from a desire to fully embrace the un-known and respond authentically to what emerges. As John Lennon reminds us: "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

Potential Challenges

We are creatures of habit and have a tendency to go towards what is pleasurable and away from what might cause us pain or discomfort, may that be emotional, physical or mental. It is easy to convince yourself that this "just doesn't feel right to me", when in reality you are simply trying to avoid an important but potentially unpleasant task or conversation.

Aiming to "go with the flow" without first developing an awareness of your personal patterns and tendencies can feel like being caught in an eddy—circling around and repeating the same old patterns, unable to move on. There is more to "going with the flow" than meets the eye.

Potential Benefits

There is a profound concept in Daoism, called Wu Wei, often translated as "non-action," "effortless action," or "action without striving." It describes a way of being that is in perfect harmony with the natural flow of existence. Rather than forcing or struggling, Wu Wei invites us to engage in actions that arise naturally and align seamlessly with the world around us.

This idea resonates with the yogic principle of vairagya, which is commonly translated as "non-attachment." Vairagya emphasizes the ability to act with clarity and discernment, uncoloured by personal fears, desires, or preferences. Both concepts challenge us to focus on what is truly essential, allowing us to release what no longer serves us and to move through life with grace and balance.

This kind of 'going with the flow' is not easily accomplished but it is the kind I wish would be taught at schools and pursued by governments around the world.