When we set goals, we often fall into the trap of believing that achievement will unlock lasting happiness, a mindset that continually moves the finish line. This conversation, featuring Jonathan Fields on the Good Life Project, reveals that the failure of our grand ambitions isn't due to a lack of discipline, but the absence of a robust structure that can withstand the unpredictable nature of real life. The hidden consequence of conventional goal-setting is the creation of brittle aspirations that collapse when motivation wanes and everyday chaos intervenes. This framework, Success Scaffolding, offers a humane and sustainable alternative, emphasizing integration, experimentation, and the foundational principle of "enoughness" over scarcity and self-criticism. Anyone seeking to achieve meaningful goals without sacrificing their well-being or tying their self-worth to the next win will find profound advantage in understanding these deeper system dynamics.

Your Goals Are Broken. Here's How to Build Them to Last.

The mid-January slump is a familiar adversary. The initial rush of New Year's resolutions has long since faded, replaced by the relentless demands of daily life. In the quiet moments, a question often surfaces: "Am I doing this right? Should I be further along by now?" If this resonates, take solace: nothing has gone wrong. This very moment, as early enthusiasm wanes and real life--with its inherent snacks and chaos--reasserts itself, is precisely when meaningful change either solidifies or retreats to the realm of "maybe next year." The common culprit isn't a lack of discipline or desire, but rather the flawed architecture of our goals. We are often tasked with building ambitious dreams on foundations that cannot support the weight of human existence.

Over the past few episodes of Good Life Project's New Year series, Jonathan Fields has systematically dismantled pervasive myths: the necessity of a clean slate for new beginnings, the reliance on rigid resolutions for change, and the false premise that more achievement equates to feeling "enough." This special bonus episode builds upon that grounding, offering a practical, science-informed framework called Success Scaffolding. It's designed not to abandon the pursuit of big, meaningful goals, but to make them sustainable and humane. This approach eschews pressure and self-critique, instead providing a structure that can genuinely hold a human life. As Jonathan Fields explains, the goal isn't to become someone else entirely, but to build a framework that supports who you already are, allowing growth to occur without tying your worth to the next win.

The Hidden Cost of the Obvious Goal

The conventional wisdom surrounding goal achievement is often a recipe for eventual disappointment. We are taught to set ambitious targets, create detailed plans, and push relentlessly towards the finish line. Yet, as Jonathan Fields highlights in this conversation, when these goals inevitably falter, we are quick to blame ourselves: "I wasn't disciplined enough," "I didn't want it badly enough." This self-recrimination, however, often misses the systemic flaw. Most individuals are not failing due to inherent shortcomings; they are attempting to construct meaningful achievements without adequate structure. It's akin to building a second-story deck with mere optimism and a Pinterest board. While the intention is admirable, the execution, without proper support, is destined to collapse.

This is precisely where the concept of Success Scaffolding emerges. It's a framework developed and refined over years to provide the necessary structure and support that makes ambitious goals attainable within the context of a real, messy life. The critical insight is that goals are not meant to be built on a foundation of self-rejection, perfectionism, or scarcity. Instead, they must be anchored in integration, experimentation, and a fundamental assumption of "enoughness." This shift in perspective--from a place of lack to a place of wholeness--transforms the entire process of goal pursuit.

The core of Success Scaffolding lies in selecting one big, bold goal for the year and then constructing a robust support system around it. This isn't about abandoning ambition; it's about architecting it intelligently. The "bold" aspect doesn't imply impossibility or a complete personality overhaul. It simply means the goal matters, it stretches you, and its successful pursuit would create a significant positive ripple effect. This framework is particularly potent when viewed through the lens of the previous episodes in the series, which established crucial groundwork: bringing your whole self forward, approaching change as a living process rather than a pass/fail test, and using "enoughness" as fuel rather than scarcity.

Choosing Your One Big Bold Goal: Beyond the Wish List

The first step in building a sustainable goal is identifying the singular objective around which to construct your Success Scaffolding. Many of us, myself included, are prone to accumulating numerous aspirations, leading to a diffusion of energy and a pervasive sense of guilt over the unaddressed dreams. The principle here is focus: one big, bold goal.

To identify this goal, Jonathan Fields suggests leveraging the "Good Life Buckets": Vitality, Connection, and Contribution.

• Vitality: This bucket encompasses your physical health, energy levels, nervous system regulation, and your relationship with movement, rest, and nourishment.
• Connection: This pertains to relationships, community, belonging, intimacy, repair, play, friendship, and love.
• Contribution: This typically involves your work, service, creativity, craft, voice, impact, and offerings to the world.

By posing questions within these buckets--"In vitality, what would genuinely change my lived experience this year?" "In connection, what would deepen my sense of belonging?" "In contribution, what is calling to be created or offered?"--we can move beyond vague desires to identify a more concrete aspiration. Often, this starts with a curiosity or a longing, such as "I want to feel stronger," "I want to feel less anxious," "I want to stop living like all my days are a holding pattern," or "I want to make a thing I keep thinking about making."

Once potential goals emerge, they must be filtered through the principles established in the earlier episodes:

1. The Clean Slate Filter: Ask, "What did the last year teach me about what I actually need?" This encourages learning from past experiences, not as a source of shame, but as valuable intelligence. Did last year reveal a need for more rest, less grind, greater self-care, or stronger boundaries?
2. The Un-Resolution Filter: Consider, "Can I imagine getting there through experiments and iteration, not rigid perfection?" A goal that demands flawless execution for 365 days is a fantasy. A viable goal can be approached through small experiments, weekly check-ins, and necessary course corrections.
3. The Enoughness Filter: Inquire, "Is this goal rooted in love, meaning, and alignment, or is it secretly a bid for worthiness?" Goals fueled by the belief that "I'll finally be enough when..." tend to breed anxiety and brittleness. Conversely, goals driven by intrinsic meaning, aliveness, and alignment are far more sustainable and feel better along the way.

By applying these filters, we can refine our aspirations into goals that are not only meaningful but also aligned with a humane and sustainable approach to personal growth. Examples might include: "By October, I want to run a 10K" (Vitality), "I want to repair or deepen one key relationship" (Connection), or "I want to write the first draft of my book by December" (Contribution). The key is to select one goal that resonates deeply and can serve as the anchor for your Success Scaffolding.

The Seven Ps of Success Scaffolding: Building Your Resilient Structure

With a singular, filtered goal in hand, the work of building the scaffolding begins. This framework, comprised of seven "Ps," provides the structure and support necessary for your goal to withstand the inevitable friction of real life. It's about creating a functional, sturdy structure, not necessarily an architectural masterpiece.

P1: Picture -- The Embodied Vision

The "Picture" element is about creating a clear, embodied vision of what success looks and feels like, beyond just the outcome. Our brains are inspired by a felt sense of what something means to us, not by a sterile spreadsheet. For a goal like running a 10K, the picture might include the sensory details of race day: the feel of the bib, the sound of shoes on pavement, the moment of crossing the finish line, and the quiet pride of showing up and following through. For strength training, it could be the ability to carry groceries without strain or feeling more capable and taller in your body. For writing a book, it might be the rhythm of consistent writing sessions, the visual of chapters accumulating, and the finality of typing "The End."

This vision should be multi-sensory, engaging sight, sound, touch, and even smell. A practice cue is to complete the sentence: "It's [date]. I did it, and my life feels like..." followed by, "And the best part is..." This second part often reveals the true, underlying desire.

P2: Purpose -- The Why That Survives Friction

"Purpose" is the deep-seated "why" that sustains effort when motivation inevitably wanes. It's crucial to distinguish this from superficial motivations like "I should" or "It's time." Deep purpose resonates with intrinsic values: "I want to feel more alive," "I want to show up for the people I love," "I want to reclaim myself." For a fitness goal, this might be "I want energy that lasts past 2 p.m." For a connection goal, "I'm tired of feeling alone in a room full of people." For a contribution goal, "I want to stop deferring my creative work to some mythical future."

Crucially, if your purpose is rooted in a desire to "finally be enough," this transforms the goal into a treadmill. The purpose must be grounded in aliveness, values, meaning, and contribution. A practice cue is to repeatedly ask, "Why does this matter?" until the answer lands viscerally in your body, revealing its true significance.

P3: Plan -- Making It Human, Not Heroic

The "Plan" element focuses on creating a realistic, chunked, and adaptable roadmap. The mistake most make is planning as if life will be devoid of obstacles. A functional plan involves several steps:

1. Baseline Plan: Borrow from proven models where possible (e.g., existing training plans, writing frameworks).
2. Customize: Tailor the plan to your actual life--your available time, energy, and realistic capacity. A fantasy plan might be "write at 5 a.m. daily," while a realistic plan is "write Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 45 minutes."
3. Chunk into Milestones: Break down the goal into smaller, manageable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed and to create a sense of progress.
4. Identify Obstacles and Workarounds: Proactively anticipate what might get in the way and pre-plan your responses. This transforms the plan into a series of experiments, integrating the "un-resolution" concept. The focus shifts to gathering data and adjusting, not adhering rigidly to a flawed blueprint.

P4: Possibility -- Cultivating Belief

"Possibility" is about building a case for "this is doable." It requires cultivating belief, not necessarily in achieving the entire goal immediately, but in taking the next step. This belief can be built from evidence within your own life--acknowledging past hard things you've accomplished--and from the experiences of others. A practice cue is to list three things: "A hard thing I've done is...", "A strength that I have that helps is...", and "A resource I can access is...". This creates a "possibility file" that serves as a constant reminder of your capability. As you take action and achieve small wins, this belief compounds, becoming a powerful driver of momentum.

P5: People -- Building Your Success Team

Most significant goals are not purely individual achievements; they are social endeavors. The "People" element involves assembling a supportive network. Key roles include:

• Co-Drivers: Individuals pursuing similar goals, offering shared experience and commiseration.
• Champions: Cheerleaders who offer encouragement and belief, especially during difficult times.
• Accountants: People who provide gentle, non-judgmental accountability through regular check-ins.
• Mentors: Those with wisdom and experience who can offer guidance and share lessons learned.
• Community: Groups that provide a sense of belonging and shared endeavor.
• Challengers: Individuals who push you to refine your ideas and plans, not to tear you down, but to optimize your approach for greater success.

The practice here is to identify one role you most need and reach out to one person, crafting a simple, honest ask. While this can feel vulnerable, inviting others into your journey significantly increases your likelihood of success.

P6: Practices -- Daily Rituals for Steadiness

"Practices" are the simple, daily or weekly rituals that keep you steady and grounded. These are not optional extras but foundational elements that help you return without shame, adjust without quitting, and remember your inherent worth. Examples include:

• Weekly Review Ritual: A 10-minute session to reflect on what worked, what didn't, lessons learned, adjustments needed, and acknowledging wins.
• The Two-Minute Return: When tempted to skip a habit, commit to just two minutes of it. This keeps your identity as someone who shows up alive.
• One Good Moment: A practice from the "Year of Enough" series, identifying one moment that felt sufficient, reframing your motivation from lack to abundance.

Choosing one practice to commit to for a set period, like two weeks, can build momentum and reinforce your identity as someone who consistently engages with their goals.

P7: Pledge -- Committing to a Relationship, Not Perfection

The final "P" is the "Pledge"--a commitment to a relationship with your goal, not to perfection. It's a statement of intent that acknowledges inevitable wobbles but firmly commits to returning with kindness and compassion. A template for a pledge might be: "I pledge to move in the direction of [your goal] by experimenting with [your chosen behaviors] for the next [timeframe]. I'm doing this because [your deep purpose]. I'll review weekly without judgment on [specific day], and when I wobble, I will return with kindness and compassion."

The initial pledge should be written for yourself, fostering honesty. Sharing it should be a deliberate choice, considering who would genuinely support your journey and who might inadvertently cause harm.

Final Integration: The Keystone of the Weekly Review

Life will invariably happen. You will get sick, face unexpected challenges, or experience dips in motivation. This is not failure; it is being alive. Success Scaffolding protects you during these times. The "clean slate" principle encourages learning from setbacks rather than self-exile. The "un-resolution" allows for adjusting experiments rather than abandoning the plan. And the "year of enough" reminds you that your worth is not on the line.

The keystone of this entire structure is the weekly review. This simple 10-minute practice--asking "What worked? What didn't? What did I learn? What do I adjust? What win will I acknowledge?"--keeps you in constant, compassionate conversation with your goal. It’s this consistent engagement that differentiates a goal that collapses from one that evolves.

Your next step is singular and actionable: write your pledge, schedule your weekly review, or send one message to invite someone into your Success Scaffolding. This is not about becoming someone else; it is about building a structure that supports what truly matters, grounded in the person you already are.

Attribution: This blog post is based on the insights shared by Jonathan Fields on the Good Life Project podcast episode "Your Goals Are Broken."

Key Action Items

• Identify Your One Big Bold Goal: Over the next 24 hours, select one meaningful goal for the year from your Vitality, Connection, or Contribution buckets. Filter it through the "clean slate," "un-resolution," and "enoughness" principles.
• Draft Your Pledge: Within the next 48 hours, write your personal pledge for this goal, committing to a relationship with it, not perfection. Use the provided template and focus on honesty.
• Schedule Your Weekly Review: Immediately place a 10-minute weekly review session on your calendar for the same time each week. This is your essential tool for sustained progress.
• Identify Your Needs in "People": Over the next week, assess which of the six "People" roles (Co-Drivers, Champions, Accountants, Mentors, Community, Challengers) you most need right now.
• Reach Out to One Person: Within the next week, identify one person to invite into your Success Scaffolding journey by fulfilling one of the "People" roles. This action often requires discomfort now but yields significant advantage later.
• Choose and Commit to One Practice: For the next two weeks, select one simple daily or weekly practice (e.g., Two-Minute Return, Weekly Review) and commit to it consistently. This pays off by building resilience and identity.
• Embrace Iteration Over Perfection: Recognize that goal pursuit is an iterative process. Over the next quarter, intentionally practice adjusting your plan based on your weekly reviews, rather than striving for flawless execution. This discomfort of imperfection now builds long-term adaptability.