Life of a Goal Digger
Wha Gwon Fam,
I’mma be real lowkey it's been feeling like the worlds spiraling. I can go into details about it but which one of you would really care enough to cash app me $10,000? Exactly! SO… rather than talk about the problems HOWs about I give you insight on how I keep going forward regardless of the inner storms.
Before I begin, are you familiar with the phrase "Shit happens"? Well, SHIT is constantly happening and chances are it will continue to happen, so how about you give the shit a place in your life, let's call it fertilizer. When the "fertilizer" starts to pile up it's the pursuit of our life goals that anchors our existence to a space of value.
Goals are more than a dropped location pin on our "Things To Do" list of life; they are the fuel that propels us, the lenses that bring our purpose into focus. They are as varied as the individuals who set them, ranging from career milestones to personal bests, yet they all share a common thread: the intrinsic human desire to be more than our present state of ______.
Below are a few of the mental models I’ve adapted to motivate me out of my naturally pessimistic mind enough to shovel through 95% of the fertilizer.
The Wanderer
Life goals often act like a compass, guiding us through the haze of daily routines and the plethora of choices as vast as the sea itself. Goals are the constellations we use to navigate our life’s journey, helping us to align our actions with our deeper values and move towards outcomes that resonate with our true selves. Without them, we risk becoming adrift, subject to the currents of circumstance and the whims of the tide.
The Thinker
Psychology also validates the importance of goal-setting. Attributing to it numerous benefits such as its ability to provide direction. Once we've indicated a point in space, we've inadvertently created Focus as a by product. Focus, in turn, breeds efficiency, as we’re able to channel our energy towards a defined endpoint. Moreover, the process of working towards a goal contributes to a sense of personal growth and competence, fundamental components of self-esteem and self-confidence.
The Artist
For the artists, the creators, and the dreamers, goals are the notes that compose the symphony of a fulfilling life. Achieving a goal is akin to completing a masterpiece, a testament to the creativity, discipline, and passion that define the human spirit. They’re the scripts from which they act, the melodies they sing, and the strokes they paint.
The Athlete
Inevitably, life throws us curveballs that can rattle our perception of reality. Here, life goals serve a critical function—they are the foundational work being put in during "off-season" that our regular training builds upon. The pursuit of meaningful objectives gives us a reason to rise after a fall, to adjust our plays and end the game with the W. It is in the striving, not just the arriving, that we find strength and build character.
The Sculptor
The modern age, with its relentless pace and often overwhelming barrage of information, can feel like a solid block of defeat. Life goals are the sculpture in this raw stone, providing substance for you to create form. They encourage us to feel our way through the chaos and shape it to something better, or what could be, or what we wish to become.
The Blank Canvas
Life goals invite us to paint on the canvas of possibility. They remind us that the future is not just something that happens to us—it’s something we can shape with intention and purpose. As we reach each goal, we expand the boundaries of our world, we redefine what’s achievable, and we inspire others to do the same.
The Producer
Goals also lend rhythm to our lives. Each step forward is a beat in the rhythm of progress, a rhythm that energizes us and those around us. Like music, the rhythm of pursuing goals has the power to uplift, to soothe, and to move the human spirit towards greater heights.
The Reputation
Finally, our life goals are the milestones that mark our personal legacy. They are the achievements we will be remembered for, the impacts we make on our community, and the changes we effect in the wider world. They are the gifts we leave behind, long after we’re gone.
At this point you probably feel like I’m beating a dead horse BUT what I mean to drill down on is this. The importance of setting life goals cannot be overstated. They are essential for personal development, mental well-being, and the realization/actualization of our potential. Goals encourage us to dream, to strive, and to build lives of purpose and passion. So, stake your prospecting site, grab your pick axe and river pan and start mining your life’s goals.
Quotes on Goals:
“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” ― Diana Scharf
“If you're bored with life — you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don't have enough goals.” — Lou Holtz
“Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.” — Mario Andretti
“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.” — Elbert Hubbard
“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
*Make Pigs Fly!