The Rachel Hollis Podcast

923 | How to Figure Out What You Actually Want This Year

January 5, 2026

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  • If life is not aimed in a specific direction, one will remain aimless and repeat the current chapter of life. 
  • The true magic of goal setting is not achieving the goal itself, but who you become on the journey toward it. 
  • To combat analysis paralysis when setting a vision, treat the goal as if it belongs to a character in a movie, allowing for bigger, less pressured dreaming. 

Segments

Aimlessness and Direction
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(00:01:00)
  • Key Takeaway: A life without a specific aim will result in aimlessness and the repetition of the current life chapter.
  • Summary: If your life lacks a specific direction, you will remain aimless and keep repeating the same chapter. Setting a goal, breaking it into bite-sized pieces, and defining the process is crucial for progress. The goal of this episode is to help listeners figure out their North Star vision for the next year.
Rachel’s Goal Setting History
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(00:01:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Hollis has successfully used goal setting since her teenage years to achieve major life milestones, including moving to Los Angeles and securing internships.
  • Summary: Rachel Hollis has been obsessed with yearly goals since childhood, viewing goal setting as aiming at a North Star and pulling it closer. Her early successes included moving to LA and achieving a paid internship at Miramax Films in 2001. This process has been applied across all areas of her life, including business, health, and finances.
Importance of Vision Quotes
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(00:04:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The necessity of vision is supported by historical and philosophical quotes emphasizing that without it, people perish or fail to follow dreams.
  • Summary: The importance of goals is supported by scripture stating, “Without vision, the people perish.” Yogi Berra noted that if you don’t know where you’re going, you will end up there. John Maxwell stated that people don’t follow dreams they cannot see.
Overcoming Vision Overwhelm
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(00:05:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The vision for life does not need to be perfect; the critical step is choosing a direction to avoid analysis paralysis.
  • Summary: Thinking about setting a life vision can overwhelm people who fear choosing the wrong path or needing perfection. Analysis paralysis causes people to choose nothing, leading to stagnation and repeating the same year. You need a goal to head in some direction, as the secret benefit is who you become while pursuing it.
Setting Personal Intention
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(00:08:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners should pause to define their personal intention for the session, linking it to why they need to make a change or develop a process.
  • Summary: Listeners are encouraged to grab a notebook and pause to set their intention for why they are seeking change or developing a process. This reflection should address who is counting on them, whether it is frustration, family needs, or their childhood self. Defining this ‘why’ clarifies the importance of having a vision.
Evolving Goal Setting Teaching
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(00:09:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Hollis has adapted her goal-setting instruction away from her specific, highly motivated personality type to create a modality that works for every brain type.
  • Summary: For years, Rachel taught goal setting based on her own highly motivated, specific personality (Capricorn, Enneagram 3). She realized this approach failed those who were not visual or organized in the same way, leading her to develop a method hypothetically effective for everyone. This new approach requires understanding ’the equation’ first.
The Goal Achievement Equation
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(00:11:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Any goal (the sum) is achieved by finding the unique combination of variables that works for the individual, contrasting with past methods of teaching only one fixed combination.
  • Summary: The equation concept posits that any goal is the ‘sum,’ and achieving it requires knowing the correct ‘combination’ of variables. While universal constants exist (like making a profit in business), the specific variables differ for every human being. Focusing on identifying one’s own sum prevents getting mixed results from trying to implement other people’s variables.
Vision as a Movie Character
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(00:18:44)
  • Key Takeaway: To overcome the fear of naming a big vision, listeners should pretend they are setting the goal for a movie character being played by an actor.
  • Summary: Naming a big vision can feel too pressuring, so listeners are asked to play a game where they imagine their next year is a movie starring an actor of their choice. This detachment allows the listener to dream bigger without the internal voice dismissing the goal as unreasonable or crazy. The focus remains on defining the ‘sum’ or the desired outcome for the character.