047: Business Goals That Look Right but Feel Wrong? Do This Instead

047: Business Goals That Look Right but Feel Wrong? Do This Instead

3 Signals You’re Sabotaging Your Business Goals

September 17, 2025
7 Minute Read

In this episode of the Clarity Crisis series, I’m sharing three signals that reveal when you’re sabotaging your business goals — and how you can begin moving towards clarity instead.

Business goals are meant to inspire progress — but sometimes, the very way we set them can hold us back. You might hit a milestone and feel strangely flat, keep rewriting plans without ever launching, or say yes to opportunities that look good on paper but don’t feel right in your gut.

These are hidden forms of self-sabotage. They creep into your goal setting strategies and decision making in business, leaving you stuck in cycles of overthinking and second-guessing

Jump To Section

Soul Goals vs Should Goals
Fear Disguised as Logic
Ignoring Your Body’s Signals
Why These Signals Matter

Soul Goals vs Should Goals

A soul goal will still energise you even when it’s challenging. A should goal drains you even though you achieve it.

Biz Coach Selena X

Not all goals are created equal.

“Should goals” are the shiny milestones — revenue numbers, big launches, new hires — that look impressive but often leave you exhausted and unfulfilled once achieved. They’re shaped by external pressure, not internal desire.

“Soul goals,” on the other hand, fuel your energy. They’re connected to your deepest values and bring meaning to the hard work.

If you’ve ever completed a goal and thought, “Is that it?”, chances are you were chasing a should goal. And research shows this isn’t just anecdotal — goal setting can backfire if the goals are poorly chosen or misaligned with personal motivation (Harvard Business Review).

For deeper support, explore my Goal Setting Course — a practical system to help you design goals you’ll actually stick to.

✨ Reflective prompt: Next time you write down a goal, ask yourself: “Does this goal light me up, or does it just look good on paper?”

Fear Disguised as Logic

You’ve heard the voice before:

“You’re not ready yet.”
“You just need more data before you launch.”
“Wait until things are perfect.”

On the surface, it sounds like smart strategy. But underneath, it’s fear. Fear loves to masquerade as logic, keeping you stuck in preparation instead of action.

Here’s the difference:

Fear feels heavy, constricting, urgent.
Intuition feels calm, steady, and grounded.

One of my clients kept rewriting her launch plan, convinced she needed more research. But when we tuned in, the truth was simple: she was afraid of being visible and not receiving the feedback she hoped for. Recognising this changed everything — she launched, connected with her audience, and built momentum instead of stalling.

If you haven’t already, check out Episode 1: Why Smart Entrepreneurs Make the Worst Decisions for more on how over-analysis can sabotage clarity.

Ignoring Your Body’s Signals

Your body is constantly giving you feedback. Think of it as a stoplight system:

Green: expansive, energised, aligned → move forward.
Amber: uncertain, hesitant → pause and reflect.
Red: heavy, constricting → this isn’t the right path.

Too often, entrepreneurs ignore these signals and commit to opportunities that look perfect on paper but feel draining in practice. By paying attention, you can use your body as a compass for clarity and aligned growth.

If this resonates, my Messaging Magic program also explores how alignment shapes clarity across every part of your business.

✨ Reflective prompt: Think back to a time you said yes when your gut said no. What did your body feel like in that moment — and what did it cost you later?

Why These Signals Matter

At first glance, these three signals might feel subtle. But over time, they shape the entire trajectory of your business.

Chasing should goals leads to burnout and constant dissatisfaction. Letting fear pretend to be strategy creates endless loops of procrastination. And ignoring your body’s signals disconnects you from the very clarity you’re seeking.

The good news? Each signal is also an invitation. They’re not there to shame you — they’re there to guide you back to alignment. When you can spot them early, you can pivot quickly, saving yourself months (or even years) of wasted effort.

This is why self-awareness is such a powerful business tool. Decision making in business isn’t just about logic and spreadsheets — it’s about learning to trust both your strategy and your inner signals. When you bring those two together, your goals stop being a source of stress and start becoming a compass for growth.

Resources Mentioned

Skip to the Part You Need

00:00 – Why business goals keep you stuck

00:35 – Recap: Smart entrepreneurs, worst decisions

01:12 – Signal 1: Should Goals vs Soul Goals

03:05 – Signal 2: Fear Disguised as Logic

05:02 – Signal 3: Ignoring Your Body’s Signals

07:33 – Why these signals matter long-term

09:14 – Next steps to stop self-sabotage

Ready to Stop Sabotaging Your Business Goals?

Now that you know the signals, the next step is learning how to trust them. In the next episode of the Clarity Crisis series, we’ll explore how to lean into your body’s wisdom and finally make decisions with confidence.

But you don’t have to wait. If you’re ready to start creating goals that actually energise you (instead of draining you), check out my Goal Setting Course — a practical system to help you design aligned goals you’ll actually stick to.

Join the Goal Setting Course
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