Goals

There are lots of different types of goals that people try to achieve in their life. This morning I decided to break them into 4 categories.

1. UPKEEP GOALS – These are small goals that are accomplished, but need to be redone frequently. Some examples would be:

• Doing the dishes
• Walking the dog
• Getting the oil changed on your car
• Balancing your checkbook

Because of the frequency of accomplishment, and the relatively small reward these have a tendency to be dissatisfying. It is also difficult for most people to be successful in all aspects simultaneously, which can give a false sense of failure.

2. GOALS OF AMBITION – These are larger goals that have higher difficulty, and usually take longer to accomplish. They rely on some degree of external measurement or validation. Some examples would be:

• Making $1,000,000
• Getting a Masters or Doctorate Degree
• Having your work published
• Becoming Famous

These goals have a high level of challenge and the reward can sometimes be life changing. After achieving an ambitious goal, one is likely to feel elated for a time. Often these goals of ambition are really goals of self mastery in disguise.

3. GOALS OF SELF MASTERY - Goals that are self imposed that test self discipline. These do not rely on external validations, and are occasionally done purely for the sake of challenge. These are often physical in nature. Some examples would be:

• Running a marathon
• Giving up smoking
• Communicating frustration without yelling
• Never being late
• Facing a fear

These goals do not have the same intense climax as the Goals of Ambition, but tend to be satisfying over a longer period of time. When achieved, these goals contribute to a higher level of confidence.

4. GOALS OF CONTENTMENT – These are self imposed goals where the measurements and results are entirely emotional & internal. These do not test self discipline. Some examples include:

• Letting go of anxiety and worry
• Appreciating what you have
• Accepting uncertainty
• Self forgiveness
• Being ‘in the moment’
• Feeling happy and contented

These goals have no climax and no timeline. They are continual in every moment. They tend to be so abstract that they are not always acknowledged as goals. They are achieved or failed on a moment to moment basis.

As you may or may not have noticed, these descriptions have a bit of a progression to them. We have moved from external goals to more and more internal goals.

Our society focuses very much on external accomplishments – Where did you go to school? How much money do you have? Do you have a fancy car? Are you famous? What is your importance? Do you have political clout? But these things seldom correlate with our individual contentment.

So you finally made a million dollars – that’s great! Or is it? After the original elation wears off, you find out that there is a negative side to having all that money**. Your friends act funny around you now that you are ‘rich’. People expect new things from you. You quit your job and suddenly you don’t know what to do with yourself. The structure of your week is gone and everyone else is working during the day.

And you become anxious that your money will disappear. You have more resources than ever before but you desperately hold on to your money, terrified of going back to your old life. Your goal has been achieved, and you can see nothing to look forward to.

Alternatively, let’s say that you have had a great deal of success appreciating what you have and feeling happy and contented. Suddenly these ‘upkeep goals’ don’t seem like pesky chores any more. From this vantage point they are not something that you are getting out of the way to attend to ‘more important’ things.


**Just so you know, I am not against acquiring wealth. My point is only that riches have little or nothing to do with happiness.