This is a guest post by John Bardos from JetSetCitizen.com
The late management guru, Peter Drucker said that efficiency is doing things right and effectiveness is doing the right things. We have become very efficient in being able to cross things off of our to do lists and bucket lists but how often do we step back to see if we are actually striving for objectives that are important and fulfilling?
I only have 100 Possessions
Minimalism has recently exploded in popularity. More and more people are documenting exactly how few possession they own. While I believe in simplifying our lives and reducing our consumption, what does the goal of getting down to some arbitrary number of possessions accomplish? Is 105 possessions 5 too many? Is 95 possessions 5 better than 100?
Instead of having a goal to cut back to 100 possessions, can’t we just take daily satisfaction in living a simpler life of reduced consumption? Enjoy the time spent away from a shopping mall rather than obsessing about the next thing you are going to cull from your life.
I have been to 47 Countries.
Many travellers seem focused on visiting as many countries as possible in the shortest time. Does it matter if you have been to 20, 100 or all the countries? Are you travelling only for the ink in the passport stamps? Perhaps if you only went to a few countries you might actually have time to learn something about the culture and yourself.
I want to Run a Marathon on Every Continent.
More people seem to have the goal of running a marathon. If the goal helps you get in shape and keeps you active then great, run a marathon. If you are not running regularly and don’t enjoy it then why have the goal?
I almost entered the Budapest marathon on the day of the race. I haven’t been running regularly for about two months so it would have been tough to finish in the five and a half hour time limit but I wanted to do it anyway. In my head I was thinking, “It would be great to get a Budapest marathon shirt. I could tell people that I finished a marathon with little training. It would be a great story for my blog.” Most reasons were to impress others. Sure I would have had a sense of personal accomplishment but the real reasons we more superficial. That was a goal gone bad.
Striving towards meaningful goals can be an important part of finding satisfaction in life. Remember it is the ‘striving’ that is important, not the achievement. If we do not enjoy the daily commitment to bettering ourselves, it is unlikely that achieving the final objective is going to bring any lasting happiness.
John Bardos and his wife sold everything to live a location independent lifestyle. He interviews other nomadic travellers and people living life on their own terms at JetSetCitizen.com. Follow at @JetSetCitizen on Twitter.
I agree. Seems like a lot of goals are based on looking outward at what other people are doing rather than looking inward at what would benefit ones own life development.
Thanks Julie, I think most people are chasing goals to impress others. I am like that myself sometimes. I think it is good to always question ourselves and ask, “Why am I doing this?”
John Bardos – JetSetCitizen\’s latest post…7 Great Resources to Help you Grow an Online Business
Bravo! I love this, and agree completely. Live a life of your creation, find happiness in your own stride. Setting yourself up to accomplish some goal for the applause of others, is really not all that different than not breaking out of the boxes in the first place.
Cherie @Technomadia\’s latest post…Snapshots of St John
Thanks Cherie.
Too many people think they will find happiness by quitting their jobs, starting a business or travelling the world. After doing those things, I have realized that if you can’t find happiness where you are today, you probably won’t find it chasing goals.
John Bardos – JetSetCitizen\’s latest post…7 Great Resources to Help you Grow an Online Business
This is the third post this week that I have read about not really needing goals. Something must be in the air. LOL
Susie @newdaynewlesson\’s latest post…The Best Way To Empower Someone Is To Show Them Their Strengths
Hi Susie,
Yes, I like Leo Babauta’s ideas of having no goals. Just do things you love everyday and don’t worry about the goals so much.
I actually believe in goals, but not of the bucket list type. For example, I want to publish more ebooks so I write everyday. I don’t have a set date to publish though, I just focus on the daily process of creating and editing the content.
My metric for happiness is “Did I do the best I could today?”
John Bardos – JetSetCitizen\’s latest post…7 Great Resources to Help you Grow an Online Business
Thanks for this post, John. And for your comments, Julie, Cherie and Susie.
I liked this post from John because I’m a former Type-A who set goals and had to-do lists and tracking sheets for everything. It got boring and restrictive and squeezed a lot of joy out of my life.
These days I do very little in the way of goal-setting. I think it’s crucial to be clear about what your values are, and to courageously articulate the true dreams and desires that you develop along the way. But I’m not into “big hairy audacious goals” and I’m very concerned that when we think in terms of setting goals, we tend to be very measurement- and comparison-focused, forget the stuff that creates quality and depth, and get into the whole stressful “keeping up with the Joneses” arena.
I’m more about asking myself questions like, “What’s important to me in life?” and “Does this bring more of what I value into my life?” and “How can I bring more of what I value into my life right now?” and “What regular consistent practices are important to me to express and affirm my values, and to work towards the realization of my dreams?”
Dr Brene Brown’s TEDX talk hit the nail on the head when she said that one of the scourges of our society is this idea that we have to be “remarkable.” I agree with her view that small, “ordinary” courage and enjoying the “ordinary,” innocent joys in life – like all the small, real connections we can have with each other, growing a garden, playing and creating for the fun of it, regular exercise and healthy eating, contributing to others lives in small positive ways, etc makes for more health, happiness and meaning than “being remarkable” and achieving “big hairy audacious goals.”
Cath Duncan\’s latest post…The Problem With Goals