Why Believing in Your True Identity Matters More Than SMART Goals

We've all been taught to use SMART goals—those specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound targets designed to help us succeed. While this framework has its place, I've always had my doubts. The problem with SMART goals is they focus exclusively on tangible results, pulling your attention away from something far more powerful: the present moment and who you truly are.

Let me share a different approach—one used by conscious creators.

THE CONSCIOUS CREATOR'S SECRET

Here's what most people miss: conscious creators aren't primarily focused on achieving goals. Yes, they manifest incredible outcomes—like my own beautiful life in Bali—but that's not where their attention lies.

When you fixate solely on future goals, you miss what's happening right now. You're living somewhere that doesn't exist yet. The conscious creator operates differently. They act from the excitement available in this very moment, trusting that what needs to be created will naturally unfold.

Notice I said "trusting." That's the key.

THE REAL MECHANISM BEHIND MANIFESTATION

The conscious creator doesn't rely on action alone to achieve results. Of course actions matter enormously—but not in the way SMART goals suggest.

The real mechanism is this: your intention combined with your belief that you ARE the person who embodies that reality.

You know where you want to go. You understand your destination. But instead of obsessing over the steps to get there, you focus on believing you're already the person who receives it, who lives it, who embodies it.

This is a crucial shift—from trusting your actions to trusting your identity.

WHEN DISBELIEF BECOMES YOUR BARRIER

Imagine I want to own a dream villa in Bali. But deep down, I don't believe I'm the type of person who owns dream villas. I carry limiting beliefs about myself that contradict this vision. Disbelief is present.

No matter how hard I work—even if I work myself to exhaustion—this mistrust will shape my thinking and my actions. My disbelief in who I am makes the villa incompatible with my reality.

I had a dear friend who passed away. She constantly doubted her own abilities, convinced she could never create her dream life. That disbelief became her ceiling.

WHERE SHOULD YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST?

So where does a conscious creator invest their energy? Not primarily in achieving goals directly, but in cultivating trust in an identity that naturally manifests that dream life.

Most of your effort goes toward cultivating trust in who you are—your true identity—rather than forcing outcomes through sheer willpower.

HOW TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR IDENTITY

At the School for Authenticity, we break this down into two essential steps:

Step 1: Recognize Your Disbelief
Identify where you hold disbelief about who you truly are. These doubts are often disguised as negative beliefs that don't actually belong to you. Your disbelief about your true identity has been replaced by limiting stories that never fit in the first place.

Step 2: Discover Your Authentic Identity
Go searching for who you really are beneath those false beliefs. When you find your true self, believe in that identity fully. Then act in alignment with that belief.

When you trust in your authentic identity, the dreams you desire aren't something you chase—they become something you naturally embody. That's when everything changes.