Author: Kat Mari

If you’ve ever found yourself running on caffeine and pure willpower, you’re not alone. The world praises hustle. Wake up earlier, sleep later, do more, achieve faster. Somewhere along the way, we started confusing movement with momentum.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good to-do list and a solid action plan. But if I’ve learned anything about goal setting, it’s that not all progress is God-led. Sometimes, we get so focused on creating our own timeline that we forget to check if we’re even on His path.

We live in a culture that glorifies grind, but God invites us into grace. And grace doesn’t mean laziness… it means alignment.

When you build from alignment, there’s peace even in the push. There’s purpose in the waiting. There’s trust when doors close, even the ones you were sure were meant to stay open.

I’ll be honest… I’m a little hard-headed. I like to plan, to prepare, to make things happen. So sometimes, when God redirects me, He doesn’t just close the door gently… He slams it shut and locks it. Not to punish me, but to protect me. Because He knows if there’s even a crack open, I’ll try to wedge my way back through it.

And every single time He’s done that, He’s led me somewhere better. Every. Single. Time.

But here’s something I’ve realized along the way – before we can align our goals with God, we often have to declutter our lives. Not just our schedules, but our souls.

Decluttering means stepping back and asking:

• What am I chasing that God never told me to pursue?
• Whose opinions have I elevated above His?
• What definitions of success have I accepted that don’t even belong to me?

Sometimes, decluttering means setting down your own agenda: the plan you’ve been gripping so tightly. Sometimes it means releasing pride: the part of you that wants to prove you can do it on your own. And sometimes, it even means creating distance from voices around you that speak more doubt than direction.

Deconstructing the noise makes room for discernment.
When you quiet the world, you start to hear the whisper of God’s will again.

So how do we set goals that align instead of exhaust?
Here’s what I’m learning (and unlearning) about that process:

1. Pray before you plan. Ask God to reveal what He wants you to focus on, not just what you want to achieve.
2. Check your motives. Is this goal about validation or obedience? There’s a big difference between being called and being driven.
3. Declutter your influences. Be mindful of who speaks into your dreams. Not everyone’s advice is meant for your assignment.
4. Leave room for flexibility. God’s plans will always be bigger, wiser, and more fulfilling than ours, but they often unfold differently than we imagine.
5. Rest without guilt. True productivity doesn’t come from pushing harder; it comes from moving at the pace of grace.

When you set goals in alignment with Him, you stop striving to earn peace – you begin operating from it. You realize that success isn’t measured by how fast you move, but by how faithfully you follow.

So if you’re tired of the grind, maybe it’s time to pause – not to quit, but to realign. To ask God what He wants to build with you, not just what you want to build for Him, or worse – yourself.

Because sometimes, His plan isn’t to make you work harder – it’s to teach you how to work intentionally.

If this message stirred something in you. If you’re standing at a crossroads, ready to slow the grind and rediscover your rhythm, know that you’re not alone.

Whether you’re searching for clarity, rebuilding your confidence, or simply looking for your next step, I’d love to walk alongside you. Together, we’ll uncover what God’s placed on your heart and map out the path forward… with grace, faith, and purpose.

You can connect with me here to start the conversation. Let’s see where faith leads next. 💛