Goals are touted as the answer to all of our desires for success. But, more often than not, they fall flat, they don't move the needle and we just run out of energy for them.
None the less, we are constantly bombarded with stories of those intrepid souls that persevere and never give up on their dream (usually when they are trying to sell you some program) and Facebook is awash with memes promising that victory is just around the corner.
Truth is, when there are internal forces, that are dead set against anything in your life changing, it doesn't matter how much effort you put it or how many courses you take or how many coaches or motivational speakers you listen to, nothing is going to change.
Goals are a nice sounding way of focusing attention outward on external achievement.
That makes the pursuit of goals inherently flawed because there is nothing out there that can bring you happiness.
I know this a radical stance. But I have watched so many people spend years pursuing something and never achieving it and so many people who do attain something but it doesn't deliver liked they had hoped.
And then they blame themselves, like somehow this process of goal achievement was somehow sacrosanct and, if they don't deliver, it is the fault of the person and never the system.
It is an equally radical idea that nothing in the external world can make you happy. But this has been the message of saints and sages for all time. And, even though we have seen even the greatest attainments fade into oblivion, we don't question the obvious.
If all we really want is happiness and all this stuff never really delivers it. Isn't it time we look elsewhere? And, since we have pretty much exhausted ourselves and our planet in the external pursuit of it, isn't it time we turn to the one place we haven't really looked?
Within?
Join myself and host/producer for the next episode of "The Flow" every Tuesday at 12 noon eastern time. at
http://youtube.com/gpwalsh or in the private facebook group
https://facebook.com/groups/gpwalsh
