Getting Rid Of Goals | A New Approach? (ft. The Minimalists)

If you have been to this blog recently, you will know that I’m kind of on a journey to change my life. That sounds very grand and dramatic, but it’s something I’m constantly doing.

I’m currently trying to work on my health, my routine and my finances. Some people may call what I’m currently working on ‘goals’ – and they wouldn’t be wrong.

But I’ve always had an issue with the word goals (even though I’ve used it a lot on this blog!). As someone who consumes a lot of self-help content, goals is a very overused word.

It’s got to the point where that word either doesn’t mean anything to me anymore or it stresses me out.

I’ve been thinking about this for a little while. Then I started reading ‘Everything That Remains’ by The Minimalists.

Spoiler alert: I didn’t really rate this book. But I did rate a lot of the ideas and messages that were in it.

One of the most interesting bits for me was the conversation about getting rid of goals. During his decluttering phase, Joshua Fields decides to get rid of his goals.

I realised something: It didn’t really matter. The goals were never as powerful as someone’s internal motivations.

He then goes on to say that without ‘goals’ in his life he felt more calm and became more productive. I think this is so important and so valuable for a lot of people.

There can be a lot of pressure for people to have ‘goals’ – for the future, for their body, for their careers. But most of us spend so long trying to work out what we want our goals to be that we don’t have the energy to actually work on them.

I think people are constant projects. We’re always working on ourselves in some way or another. Sure having short-term or very specific goals may be helpful for a time, but I think it’s more helpful to actually put the work in you need.

I don’t think this is the end of the road for my own goals, but I do know that I won’t be putting so much pressure on myself in future.

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Will you be getting rid of goals?

Speak soon,

Rachael.