Imagine playing hockey with no nets.
You could skate hard. You could pass well. You could work up a sweat. But at the end of the game, nobody would know if they had won, lost, or even scored. There would be nothing to aim at, nothing to celebrate, and no reason to change what you were doing.
Now imagine going to high school and never being told how many credits you need to pass. You show up, you do the work, but you have no idea how close you are, what is left, or what counts. Most of us would drift. Some of us would give up, not because we were lazy, but because we had no target.
That is what life without goals feels like. And that is why goals matter so much for our mental health and our productivity.
A goal gives your brain a target
A goal is not just a wish. A wish says, “I hope things get better.” A goal says, “This is where I am going, this is what it looks like, and this is my next step.”
When you have a clear target, your attention has somewhere to land. Your daily choices start to line up. Instead of asking, “What should I do today?” you ask, “What moves me one step closer?” That one change brings focus, and focus brings calm. You are no longer chasing everything at once.
Goals also help us coordinate our effort. Think of a team again. When everyone knows the net they are shooting at, the passing, the skating, and the timing start to work together. In our own lives, a clear goal helps our time, our energy, and our actions work together instead of pulling in different directions.
Motivation, mood, and the brain’s reward system
You have probably heard the word dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain that is involved in motivation and reward. It is not a simple “happy chemical,” and it is not something we can just top up. But researchers have learned something helpful: dopamine is closely tied to anticipation and progress.
When we set a clear goal and take a step toward it, the brain notices the progress. When we finish a small step, that sense of “I did that” can feel rewarding, and that reward feeling can help fuel the next step. It is a loop: clear target, small action, noticed progress, renewed motivation.
That is one reason vague goals feel so draining. “Get healthier” has no finish line, so the brain never gets that clear signal of progress. “Walk for 20 minutes after lunch, Monday to Friday this week” has a target you can see, a step you can take, and progress you can notice. Same person. Same week. Very different energy.
Goals do not fix everything, and they are not a treatment for depression, anxiety, or any other health condition. But for many people, having a target they chose, and seeing themselves move toward it, supports a better mood, more energy, and steadier focus — because effort starts to mean something again.
Make the goal small enough to start today
A good goal is clear, and it is small enough to begin. Try this:
- Pick one area. Health, work, a relationship, learning, or giving back. Just one to start.
- Name the target in plain words. Not “be better,” but “read my Bible for 10 minutes before breakfast” or “call one client I have been putting off.”
- Give it a time. “By Friday” is better than “someday.”
- Name the first step. The smallest step that counts. If the first step feels too big, make it smaller.
- Notice the progress. At the end of the day, ask: “Did I move one step closer?” Write down a yes. That noticing matters.
Then keep going. One step, noticed, repeated. That is how a target becomes momentum.
Your next ten years start with one target
At Framework Counselling, I often say: dream again, and live with purpose. A dream without a target stays a dream. A dream with a target becomes a plan. And a plan, worked one step at a time, becomes progress.
So here is my question for you today: what is one goal you could name, in plain words, right now? Write it down. Give it a time. Take the first small step. Then notice that you did.
You do not need to play the whole game today. You just need a net to aim at.
This post is general information and encouragement only. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace care from a qualified health professional. If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out to a counsellor, your doctor, or a crisis line in your area. In Canada, you can call or text 988.
— Jeffrey Baldock, B.A., B.S.W., M.A., M.S.W., Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist, Framework Counselling, Timmins, Ontario.
