Goals Are Obstacles … Shut Off the Alarms and Find Peace and Success

Goals are obstacles that rob us of achieving what we need most – inner peace and a sense of accomplishment. Meeting goals is not the same as being successful.

Each week, I faithfully print out my To Do list. It's the same list every week, things that I need to do to keep my house clean, my bills paid, and my life generally in order.

On the back side of the list, I have our goals clearly spelled out. Short term goals. Mid term goals. Long range goals. And yes, I said "our" as I not only keep this list handy for myself, I give a copy to my husband.

I get busy. I get sidetracked. I've got a million good ideas going through my mind. My follow-through isn't as good as I'd like it to be. I never get done as much as I want to, or as I think I should. So, the list. The list comes in to keep me on track, to make sure I follow routines and get done what I need to do.

Routines. Oh, I have lists for those, too. Morning routines. Afternoon routines. Evening routines. We dutifully set our alarm clocks (clocks, plural) to get up on time in the morning. We watch the clock at night to make sure we go to bed on time.

And a calendar. A calendar so that I can physically note on it my successes. Cute little stickers that show the days I've accomplished these gloried routines. A calendar so that I don't waste anymore time.

But, how much time am I wasting making a perfectly organized To Do list that has a motivational quote on it and that is on paper that matches the season?

I'm thinking, scheduling, following routines, worrying about what I am and am not doing, and setting goals.

And then, while I'm in the midst of "shoulds," fretting about my perfectionist tendencies, and suffering from a case of "paralysis by analysis" I come across an article I wrote a few years ago on goals.

The article begins:

"Goals. I define them as obstacles to success and true happiness.

Well intentioned people tell me I need to set goals or my world is going to fall apart. They tell me that without goals, my life will simply waste away and I won't accomplish a thing. Bah humbug!"

I wrote that article when I was truly happy and at peace with myself and my life. I was accomplishing a lot. I was achieving what I wanted to achieve both personally and professionally.

So, I suggest to my husband that we stay up until we were tired, that we don't set either alarm clock, and that we get up the next morning whenever we feel rested and ready to get up. In other words, that we stop trying to unnaturally schedule our life and instead just live it.

The results? Lo and behold, we are accomplishing more than we have in months. Most importantly, we're experiencing the peace that comes when artificial goals are tossed aside. We are feeling relaxed, refreshed, and recharged!

Goals. I define them as obstacles to success and true happiness.... Read the full article.

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