I’ve always struggled with deciding whether my goals were “relevant” or “time-bound.” It feels like pulling out a crystal ball and asking it to tell me the future.

And as woo-woo as I am, even I know a crystal ball won’t tell me whether a goal is attainable or whether I’ll hit it by a specific date.

So why do we expect SMART goals to give us those same answers?

Because SMART is a corporate framework, companies with impressive profits use it, but do we ever stop to ask whether the people inside those companies are actually fulfilled? Does profit automatically mean meaningful achievement?

Are employees reaching real goals, or ticking off low-hanging fruit so they can secure a bonus, a pay rise, or a promotion?

For me, SMART goals created more stress than success. They made me compare myself, push myself, and force outcomes. And every time I forced something, I created resistance. And resistance always brings me more of what I’m trying to move away from.

If SMART goals work for you, this article isn’t for you.

But if they don’t, keep reading.

Today I’m sharing how I shifted from SMART to intuitive, and why my life and business flowed better when I stopped controlling everything and started trusting the unknown.

My £21,000 Lesson

It’s 2021. I leave my job to start my business.

I have no idea what I’m going to sell.

All I have is a blog with two articles and a desire to become a wealthy entrepreneur.

So what do I do?

I hire business coaches.

I create SMART goals.

I follow every plan.

And every time… I fail.

£21,000 later, nothing is working. I’m financially worse off, and emotionally exhausted.

Then, in early 2022, I rediscovered Eckhart Tolle. I start practising presence. I spend most of the day in a calm, meditative state.

And suddenly, everything shifts.

Clients start reaching out.

I take six weeks off in the summer by choice.

My work gets published in a book.

I’m invited to speak at an event.

Podcasts reach out to me.

My Instagram and TikTok posts go viral.

None of this came from a SMART plan.

It came from being present.

I stopped pushing.

I stopped forcing.

I rested more.

I played more.

I lived from my heart, not my head.

I became the observer. The I AM.

But it was scary. I was new to my spiritual path. I didn’t trust myself yet. And while everyone around me preached hustle culture, I was manifesting through stillness and alignment.

Some big names in the finance space were even throwing subliminals at me because I said action doesn’t manifest your goals. I didn’t know I was speaking from non-duality. I was just sharing what I was experiencing. The more I rested and played, the more I received.

But slowly, I slipped back into my head. And as soon as I did, my business began to crumble.

That business ended in 2024, but the lessons were worth everything I went through.

Action Doesn’t Have to Look Like Hustle

In my article Why Trusting Change Feels So Hard, I explain how baking bread helped me manifest my digital business.

Yes, bread.

Because achieving a goal doesn’t always require direct action. It requires inspired action. The action that feels exciting. The action that feels like play.

If your goal is to increase your income, you might think you need a side hustle, promotion, or more hours.

And sure, that works if you want to grind all day.

But what if none of that excites you?

What if what excites you is going to an event with your friend?

So you go.

You have fun.

You meet people.

You talk casually about wanting to increase your income.

Someone says their company is hiring, same hours, more money, better benefits, fully remote, no extra responsibility. The job is so easy you could do it with your eyes closed.

Coincidence? No.

Alignment.

Your job isn’t to control when or how your manifestation arrives.

Your job is to choose the path of least resistance. The path that feels like play.

How I Manifested My Website for Free

When I decided that Leaning Into The Unknown would be a blog, I didn’t have the money to hire a web designer. So I tried to build it myself. The goal was to finish it by January 2025.

But the resistance was huge. Everything that could go wrong did.

So I stopped.

I trusted the timing.

What did I do instead?

I felt excited to take up golf, so I did.

Later that year, I was offered a job I didn’t even apply for. I had simply written it down.

Then I felt inspired to try a three-day water fast, and so I did it.

On day three of that fast, I stumbled across a company offering free website builds. I researched them, applied, and a few days later, my application was approved.

My entire website was built for FREE.

I wrote the goal in August 2024.

The application was approved in February 2025.

My site was completed in March 2025.

This is how my goals manifest:

I write them down.

Then I follow what excites me.

I stay in gratitude.

I ignore physical circumstances.

I remember the physical world is an illusion. Alignment is what shapes it.

If SMART Isn’t Working, Try Something That Does

This isn’t a step-by-step guide.

I will rarely give steps, because I can’t lead you to your truth.

Only you can do that.

Manifestation is about being.

For me, being is play.

It’s connecting with my inner child.

She hates hustling.

She hates forcing.

But she loves structure and play, so that’s what I give her.

And in return, she gives me a life full of synchronicities and manifestations that unfold with ease.

If SMART goals aren’t working for you, try something different.

Try the path that feels right for your soul.

The path that lets you flow instead of force.

Align instead of struggle.

Play instead of grind.