It’s the time of the year again, the old 2024 fades, 2025 is coming. Time to set some goals. Or maybe not?
I’m a bit ambivalent when it comes to goals lately
Sure, for most it’s better to have some than doing nothing. Take this as words of caution
But goals always felt to me like something I MUST do, instead of something I WANTED to do
Maybe you can relate
25 years ago I had a larger forum and built an online store
Of course I made some short term lists of things I wanted to do to not forget them, but those weren’t goals, just reminders
For none of those I had to set any goals – ever
It was something I wanted to do more than anything else
It was the first thing I did in the morning, it was the last thing I did in the evening
It just felt natural, no goals needed
But many goals I set over the 2 decades after that, they felt hard, something I didn’t really want to do but had to
Or thought I had to
Because looking back at many of those goals, they were empty, just numbers I wanted to accomplish, something that sounded big, but nothing I truly wanted from my heart
And looking even further back, to that forum and that online store, that never felt like work, even though it was, it was pure fun instead
I LOVED making it better, nicer, sweeter
No goals needed
I just woke up and knew what to do
That sounds to me like goals worth having
And, well, looking back again, those two things are some of the accomplishments I’m most proud of
If you look at the post’s picture: Dream, set goal, action
Do you really need to set goals to go after your dreams, your real dreams?
Did you ever had to set as goal to ask that girl out?
Of course not
So maybe, if you have to write down your goals, maybe they aren’t the things you are truly after
Maybe those are someone else’s goals, indoctrinated by society or your favorite guru
Just not your dreams, not your goals
Because as it seems to me lately, for the real goals, no list is needed