Let me start by saying that goal setting is powerful, and you should be doing it – but there is a good chance that you are overdoing it.
It’s human nature to set goals; you do it daily without thinking. That’s why it’s so powerful. It’s also why it’s so easy to set so many goals that you can never get any of them done.
Let me define how I see goals.
No matter what distracts me, I’ve come to think of goals in two ways:
1) Legacy Goals that I will spend my entire life achieving.
2) Living Goals that will propel me to my Legacy Goals.
I didn’t think this way for much of my life, but one day, I accepted that no matter what I was chasing, it was the “who I would become in my life and how do I get there” thoughts constantly rolling around in my head.
My internal ScottLOGIC told me that if I’m thinking about something anyway, I might think about it purposefully.
Also, since I’ve never met anybody happy to pursue daily activities that didn’t lead to something bigger, I knew that everything should always lead to something bigger. Anything else will eventually break your spirit – and that should never happen.
As you set yourself up for a life of satisfaction, no matter how much life gets in the way, think of “Legacy Goals” as the top of a pyramid built on a foundation of “Living Goals.”
“You must build up your life action by action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as far as possible — Marcus Aurelius.
Your mission is to focus on daily “Living Goals” that are designed and intended for you closer to your “Legacy Goals,”
Stoic philosophy also says —
The culmination of human endeavor or end is “happiness” or “flourishing.”
For some, the idea of a single “Legacy Goal” may seem impossible. After all-
How can you possibly know who you will become after an entire lifetime of living?
How is it even possible that you can reach a goal you can’t define?
How is it possible to stay focused on one goal your entire life?
Frankly, understanding how that works is something we don’t need to worry about today. It’s been debated, analyzed, and tweaked for eons. There’s no need to overthink; only accept.
Your legacy will define itself if you live a happy and flourishing life. Someday, you will arrive at the person you are meant to be – and be glad for it.
One goal is all it takes. Everything else is a step on the journey.