Purposes and Goals of Life
Thinking through the difference between short-term goals and a long-term purpose that continues to motivate us.
Over the past few months, I’m trying to figure out my priorities. What is my purpose? What should I be using to drive me? What are healthy goals.
The issue is that in my mind (after years of conditioning I presume), I’ve come to rely on materialistic pleasure, such as a new MacBook or new headphones or things like the company I’m joining and whether I want to be at the upper management of a good company. Now for most people, perhaps these goals work. They can strive to fulfill these and be happy. But I’ve realised that I’m not that kind of person. I need something that will forever drive me. Because, say that I do achieve these goals, what would I do next? Or, worst still, what if I lose sight on these goals.
While on one hand, I realise that as we grow older, we need to develop new motivations to keep living, I still feel to some extent those are short-term. I believe that people should have 2 kinds of purposes and goals. A long term purpose/goal and a short term one. What those are, I don’t know. It depends on person to person. Short-term goals should be those which could be materialistic, stuff like the car or house you buy, or a promotion, things that’ll keep you happy in the short-term. But we also need a Long-term purpose. Something that’ll always power us. Something that we can look on when we feel down, or when we feel like we’ve lost all purpose. For example, perhaps helping the needy is a long-term purpose, because there will always be people that need help. Again, this varies from person to person and it’s upto each individual to decide what their purposes are.