And I find happiness in my life
Photo by Bruno /Germany in Pixabay
I used to be a super goal-oriented person.
- I set a goal to get into the college I wanted.
- I set a goal to get a job I wanted.
- I set a goal to get into the business school I wanted.
- I set a goal to live in the US.
- I set a goal to marry an ideal person I selected.
- I set a goal to start my business.
And…. I got burned out.
Each time I achieved my goal, there was this emptiness in me. Instead of feeling good about achieving my goal, I found a big empty hole in me.
I scrambled to find a new goal to fill that hole. For a while I was fine. But once I achieved my new goal, I felt this emptiness again.
How many more times do I have to feel this emptiness? What’s the value of repeating this achieving a goal and feeling empty business?
So I quit. No more setting a goal for me. That was when I sold the company I founded.
Now what? No goals? Can you live without setting a goal?
It’s been 14 years. Granted, that I’m not quite living aimlessly. But you can say that I’m experimenting my life quite differently than I use to. This “not setting a goal” approach is one of my experiments. And so far I’m doing fine. I’m enjoying it!
How fine am I doing? After I quit setting a goal?
- I no longer feel that emptiness.
- I feel happy every day. Definitely, I’m happier than 14 years ago.
- My understanding about goals has changed.
- I have different priorities in my life.
- How I see time is different, too.
- I surely don’t miss goals.
I’m more convinced that, against all the “common sense” to praise the virtue of goal setting, that there is an alternative way to live: A life free from goal setting.
Will you be interested in my side of story?