Direction > Goals
Are we blinded by our goals?
Goals! Goals! Goals!
They are all the rage – SMART goals, big goals, stretch goals. Goals give us something concrete to aim for, a target to hit.
But what happens when we get too attached to our goals?
We become rigid, unwilling to adapt even when circumstances change or better opportunities appear off our predetermined path.
Our self-worth gets tied to achieving the goal, leading to anxiety and fear of failure.
We miss the richness of the journey, focusing only on a preset destination.
What if, instead of fixating on goals, we prioritized our direction?
Direction carries us ahead on our path. It’s the set of principles guiding our movement, the general way we are facing as we move through life. It's appreciating our forward movement. And it's using goals simply as temporary markers and milestones along our path.
Focusing on direction offers us:
Flexibility: It allows us to adapt, explore, and respond to life's opportunities without feeling like we've failed if the original endpoint changes.
Resilience: Setbacks become detours, not dead ends. The direction remains, even if a specific milestone (goal) isn't met as planned.
Engagement: It encourages focus on the present step and the process of moving, rather than just the future achievement.
Meaning: Our actions feel aligned with something deeper than just checking off a box in our to-do list.
How would pursuing a direction, rather than specific goals, change how you approach your week?
Mindfully,
/rajesh
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Do you have any examples or situations that you could share to contrast a goal compared to the direction? When I try to come up with my own, I feel like my "direction" is just making my goal really vague.
You've hit on the key challenge of this idea – making sure "direction" doesn't just become a "vague goal." The distinction is subtle but crucial, and examples are a great way to explore it.
Here are a few:
Example 1
Goal: Run a marathon by the end of the year. This is a specific target. You either do it or you don't.
Direction: To be a person who moves their body consistently and enjoys physical activity. This direction guides daily choices. Today, that might mean a power walk, tomorrow a bike ride, and so on. It doesn't preclude running the marathon, but the direction remains available even if you get injured and can't run the marathon.
Example 2
Goal: Launch three new features by the end of the quarter. This is a specific, measurable output. And, again, you either accomplish it or you don't.
Direction: Build a product that is simple, flexible, and reliable. This is an actual example from one of my own projects. This direction has sometimes meant that we develop a specific feature, but other times that we deliberately avoid building a feature (if, for example, it will take away from our product's simplicity). Yet other times, it has meant that we invest in developing instructional material to help our customers use the existing product more flexibly.
Example 3
Goal: Write a book.
Direction: Do deep work exploring and sharing about topic [X] . I am currently engaged in just such a project (since early May). Each day, I write for at least two hours about [X], and dedicate at least one hour to read about [X]. With this direction, I have amassed nearly 100 pages worth of book material. But if I decide against -- or if circumstances don't allow -- the creation of a book, I will still publish this material in other forms. In other words, I hold myself accountable for the quality and quantity of my daily effort heading in my chosen direction, and not for whether a book results from it.
Example 4
Goal: Achieve profitability within the first year.
Direction: To build a financially sustainable company for the long term. This direction might lead you to reinvest early profits back into the company to strengthen its foundation, thereby delaying personal profitability. It prioritizes long-term resilience over a short-term financial milestone. This is another example from my own ventures.
I do not mean to imply that the above examples are the only way to accomplish good outcomes, but that our daily habits, processes, and incremental improvements (informed by the direction we choose) more often than not lead to good outcomes that weren't necessarily goals that we set far in advance.
Please let me know if this helps clarify things for you.
Alternatively, you can email me your goals and "vague" directions, and we can review them in depth.
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