THE PARADOX OF HAVING GOALS

It's not about what you achieve, it's about who you become in the process.

Goals are interesting things, because in a lot of ways they are a moving target. The person who wants to achieve something is usually very different than the person you need to be in order to achieve that goal.

That is why it is a goal. It is something worth achieving because of its distance from you. The second you are able to access, accomplish or achieve that given goal, is the second that you are looking to the next thing.

This is actually very beautiful if you don't let the lack of sustained satisfaction spiral you into a dark depression....

The truth is, as it's been said, it is about the journey.

I can speak about this from personal experience. I can recall a handful of times, that I had what I felt to be pretty substantial goals. Things that it took me years to accomplish. Upon accomplishing these things, I felt great for a very short period of time, then that place that was once a goal became familiar. Then I found myself looking to the next bigger and better thing.

Now, some people would say that the problem is in striving, t. That we should just give up our goals altogether.

But I feel it is our nature to strive and to grow.

Life is growth.

The invitation is to realize, that no matter where you are, you will always strive for something beyond where you are. So if, once you realize this, you are able to enjoy the process of striving more than the elusive idea that actually achieving your goal will ever satisfy you eternally, then you can enjoy everything as it comes and goes.

Much love,
Andrew McFarlene