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Goals in life

Literal_Joe

So, I've had a bit of a realisation today, and wanted to know if anyone else aligns with the thought process, as follows ...

I was kind of always of the view that you're born, you live your life, and then you die. Obvious and uncontroversial you may say, but that still leaves the age old question of "what's the meaning of life" 

The answer to that is essentially what you make it, but there's more to it I think ...

The theory I've been mulling over today is life goals. I think you have to kind of always have a goal that you're moving towards. That can be whatever you want it to be, be that marriage, children, a particular job/career, to live in a certain area, drive a certain car etc etc - But what happens after you've met that goal?? This is kind of where I think I am at the moment, because I don't think that I have any goals.

A friend of mine is struggling after retiring from his 30 year career, and I wasn't understanding why. But actually I think it's because he's reached his goal (retirement), but doesn't have another goal to replace it with. It's a bit strange to think that you work for that long, striving to reach the end point, yet, when it arrives you then feel lost

So back to the goal. I'm starting to feel like this is a very important thing, whatever that goal may be. Almost like you're in any kind of race, chasing after those ahead of you and aiming for the finish line.

Here in life though, assuming we don't class death as the finish line, I think we always need that next thing that we are chasing after 

Parents

  • The standard interview question, "Where do you see yourself in five years time?", always foxed me, because I didn't. I have been something of a jellyfish, floating along with the tides and currents of life. In answer to the question, I always felt like answering, "I do not have a 'five year plan' because I am not a Communist state."  However, I just said something vaguely aspirational.

    I have had few definite goals in life, partly because I realised relatively early that chance and luck play a very large part. Burns wrote, cogently, "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain." The few concrete goals I ever had, such as going to university, were usually accompanied by barrowloads of anxiety. I think the jellyfish approach was at least partly in order to minimise stress and anxiety. 

    When I needed to do things, things that made me uncomfortable and anxious, in order to achieve one of my definite goals I just did so. I never funked out just to make my life easier. My job meant that I had to make occasional public presentations of my work at conferences and in seminars. I utterly fear and loathe being the centre of attention, I suspect that I had a panic attack at the start of every presentation I ever made. However, I did them, to various levels of success, because they were necessary.

    As for the 'meaning of life', I think that there isn't one. This is except that we are rational creatures and have, most of us, an innate sense of altruism, personal dignity and self-worth, if we live a life that does not compromise or debase these, then we have lived a worthwhile life.

  • in reply to Martin
    Martin said:
    In answer to the question, I always felt like answering, "I do not have a 'five year plan' because I am not a Communist state." 

    I would love to have seen their reaction had you made that response.

    Relaxed️

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