The Futility of Goal Setting

There are times when it is appropriate to set goals, and there are situations when goal setting is inexpedient. The insidiousness of goal setting is inbuilt and emanates from humans conditioning. Humans tend to value external validations and approvals at the cost of their inner voice. Evolution has enfeebled our inner voice and ascribed a greater truth to extraneous words and acts of confirmation. Validation leads to an endless spiral of meaningless actions at the cost of one's journey.?

Comparing progress based on external validations /measurement of deliverables suffers from another serious drawback. Naive models of the mind create an illusory measurement of progress. For example, we may set a target of achieving a $1.2 million revenue in a year. Our mind breaks it down to 100k per month. When we fail to achieve this target at the end of the month, we feel dejected and underwhelmed. Progress is not a straight line. 11 months of preparation may precede a month of action. Sometimes progress is silent and not tangible. Measurement of progress is a fickle and flawed exercise best left to the universe. Therefore, Obsessive goal setting can be an exercise of intense stress and futility.

Goal setting as a result of an inner urge may be acceptable. But such a form of goal setting is gentle, graceful and does not suffer from obsessiveness. We look at our achievement of goals not by comparing with the output or the deliverables but with our inner spirit of movement towards the goal. Have we been lackadaisical in our approach? Have we done everything we could? Did the activity get our best? What else could I have done? Did I act from my bottlenecks, or did I pursue the task from a sense of freedom? Do I feel a lot more Energetic and excited about the assignment? Am I empowered at the end of the day? Do I feel accomplished? Is my extraordinary self manifesting itself? In such a state- curiosity, energy, calm, peace, happiness collapse into a singular sense of ecstasy. A state that resonates with humans is a quantum mechanical state of deep connection with the universal energy system.?

There are occasions when we do not have a foundation strong enough to forge a destination. When we lack knowledge of who we are, our judgements and decisions on what we should do will also be flawed. Unfortunately, the human mind conjectures goals when it is in a deep state of confusion. An inner state of restlessness goads the mind into a mistaken form of action. At such times, any action may be inimical, and no action may be a preferred state. The intrinsic property of the mind is the perception of movement signifying forward motion. Motion at an inchoate stage can result in excessive stress because of meaninglessness in our actions. One should be wary of such human tendencies and battle them with our awareness.?

When we are at a delicate stage of evolution with ourselves, how do we handle ourselves? First, we must ascribe significant say to our inner voice, sense of being, and feelings to guide us on performing a task or an activity. Brutal honesty is a must; otherwise, we will be leading ourselves into a fool's paradise. When we resolve that we will do our best on that day, execute every job with gusto and the best from ourselves, we discover aspects that we never knew existed. As we allow this feeling to build day on day, there will come a time when the inner momentum will guide you to a path. Do not quantify the results of the inner course and goals set by the knowing. Follow it with passion and energy.?

Finally, it does not matter what you do, but how you do it. Passion, zest, zeal, and inner fire can be powerful drivers. As one unfolds oneself, knowing translates into an awareness of purpose and meaning, which in turn, will unveil your path. One then becomes a child of the universe.