The Bigger Picture – Goal Setting

Goal setting is a tool. This is important to remember, because when setting and pursuing goals it can be easy to mistake this one tool for the entirety of life. The solution is to account for the weaknesses of the goal-setting tool as well as to be aware of its strengths. By taking both into account you can use it where it applies, and ignore it in areas it doesn’t belong. Goal setting isn’t the only route to success. Goal setting is Western tradition based on our viewpoint and cultural values. Eastern approaches can be useful with their philosophical outlook to have advantages in situations where the lens of the West crumbles down. Goalless action is a principle that is espoused in many of the Eastern philosophical traditions. The basic idea is that you focus your effort on producing the right actions, regardless of whether they lead to the correct results.

From a goal-setter’s perspective, this may sound like heresy. But there is an important time when it is better to place actions over results. When opportunities are numerous but subtle, focusing on a specific plan or outcome can lead you to ignore new possibilities. Also, if your actions don’t easily correlate with results in the short-term, setting short-term goals can be demoralizing. Goalless action also produces a different inner quality. Goal setting typically results in a driven, focused and enthusiastic state. Goalless action, conversely, often results in a more patient, deliberate and peaceful state of mind.