It is not beneficial to have an effective purpose when setting goals. Or is it?

Feb 11

I came across this topic online and have been pondering it for a few days. As a firm believer in goal setting (I wouldn't have created a goal-setting app otherwise), this topic really interests me.

Interestingly, as with almost everything in our lives, the answer is complex. There's no simple, black-and-white solution.

So, why is that?

What are the benefits of Goal setting?

The benefits of goal settings are clear and measurable. You can learn more about benefits of goal setting in my other articles but in short, these are the main ones:

Provides Clarity: Goal setting helps clarify objectives and priorities.
Increases Focus: It directs your attention and resources towards specific targets.
Enhances Motivation: Having clear goals fosters motivation and persistence.
Improves Planning: Goals serve as a roadmap, aiding in effective planning and decision-making.
Measures Progress: Goals provide benchmarks to track progress and assess performance.
Boosts Accountability: Setting goals holds you accountable for your actions and results.
Facilitates Achievement: It increases the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes and success.
Promotes Growth: Goals can push you to stretch beyond your comfort zones and strive for improvement.
Encourages Persistence: Clear goals provide a sense of purpose and encourage perseverance in the face of challenges.
Fosters Satisfaction: Accomplishing goals brings a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

It sounds great, right? And the truth is, it really does all these things. If you consistently set your goals and, most importantly, work towards them, you'll see a clear path and progress.

You won't just be wandering and changing directions randomly.

Purpose In Life: Why?

Okay, we've seen that setting goals is important. But what does our purpose in life have to do with it?

That's a valid question.

You can plan, set goals for yourself, and use the best tools on the market, but if you don't know why you're doing it, you're likely to eventually give up.

It's the same reason why people sign up for the gym in January, only to stop going by the end of February.

The main reason is that people haven't answered one of the most important questions in our lives: Why?

Without a strong and truthful answer to this question, our willpower and dedication naturally fade, especially during hard times.

For some of us, trying to answer our "why?" and finding our purpose in life might also be the driving force.

Would Elon Musk have invested all his resources into SpaceX and slept on the factory floor if he didn't have a clear answer to his "why?" (to save humanity and make us interplanetary beings)?

Would the average person endure the challenges of marathons or climbing Mount Everest if they weren't trying hard to find their purpose in life?

Purpose fuels motivation and engagement in life.

Purpose in life - Goal Setting Circle

Over the years, I've discovered that setting goals without understanding my "why's" leads to a lack of follow-through. Why, no pun intended, would I dedicate effort to a challenging goal if I don't fully believe in its purpose and how it aligns with my core values?

I wouldn't, and eventually, I'd give up.

However, why would I even set a goal if it weren't motivated by some purpose in my life?

For me to achieve my goals successfully, they need to reflect my life's purpose, my "why's," making my commitment to them very strong.

And, of course, my goals should assist in fulfilling my life's purpose.

That's the cycle of a happy and productive life.

The Importance of Flexibility in Goal-Setting

Is it not beneficial to have an effective purpose when setting goals? To answer this, I would say it's not just beneficial, but...

It's ideal to have your life's purpose figured out, or at least be on the path to discovering it (it's possible that most of us will never completely find it, but you can get closer by identifying your core values).

The aim of setting goals is to devise a plan on how to get as close as possible to your life's purpose and how you want to live your life.

However, it's also important to be flexible. Life is full of ups and downs, and nothing ever goes exactly according to plan. You can try, but eventually, you have to:

Adapt to Unforeseen Circumstances

The ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances is crucial in goal setting. Life is inherently unpredictable, and rigid plans can quickly become outdated in the face of new challenges or unexpected changes.

You need to be ready to reassess your objectives, methods, and timelines based on current realities.

How can you ensure adaptability?

Outline your long-term vision and set only short-term goals.
Conduct weekly, monthly, or quarterly reviews of your goals and adjust them based on your current situation.

For instance, you might have a fixed goal to run a marathon within a year. However, if you suffer an injury, sticking to this timeline could cause further damage.

Adopting a flexible approach would allow you to modify your goal, possibly focusing on recovery and gradually building up to the marathon, or even switching to a different form of exercise that suits your physical condition while still contributing to your overall fitness and well-being.

Your purpose is unchanged, only the timeline changed.

Limitations of a Fixed Purpose

A fixed purpose, while providing clear direction, can sometimes limit options and opportunities. It may stop you from exploring alternative paths that could lead to greater success or fulfillment.

Though it's a clear argument in favor of why it's not beneficial to have an effective purpose when setting goals, I believe it's more about how you define your purpose rather than an issue with aligning it with goal setting.

The problem lies either in not being honest with yourself when answering your "why's" and identifying your core values, or in having a purpose that is extrinsic, meaning it's been imposed by someone else or is motivated by external rewards.

Consider someone who has always aimed to become a lawyer because it's what their parents wanted or they hadn't considered other interests. This narrow focus might cause them to miss out on a passion for environmental conservation, where they could make a significant impact and find personal satisfaction.

By staying flexible with their career goals and questioning their life's purpose, they could discover overlapping opportunities, such as in environmental law, merging their original purpose with their passions and the demands of the market.

Creativity and Innovation

Again, this issue isn't necessarily connected to purpose itself, but rather to how you approach goal setting.

If you focus solely on setting SMART goals, you might encounter limitations in creativity and innovation.

I've written an article about SMART goals versus OKRs where you can learn more about the differences between them.

The key takeaway is that OKRs encourage you to focus more on a vision and ambition, while SMART goals serve as a tool to achieve that vision.

I recommend using a combination of both. OKRs and SMART goals are only tools or principles that should be utilized to your advantage, helping you get as close as possible to your life's purpose and achieve happiness.

Effective Purpose When Setting Goals is More Beneficial than Not, if

To sum it up, I personally believe that having a clear and effective purpose generally benefits goal setting.

You know what you want to achieve, and goal setting simply creates the roadmap to get there.

If you maintain reasonable flexibility on this journey, which proper goal setting enables, then there are no downsides.

However, if your purpose in life is driven by extrinsic motivation, even if goal setting will still help you achieve it, you may face a bigger challenge with potential motivation issues ahead.

It's better to shift towards intrinsic motivation to avoid any regrets later in life.