Having Life Goals Make You Happier Today

Imagine you set off on a road trip without any destination in mind. Would you enjoy the trip?

Here’s my take. If you don’t know where you are going, it will become a decision-making nightmare. Every fork on the road becomes a source of ambivalence. Instead of enjoying the scenery and the drive, you will be consumed by hesitation and uncertainty, struggling to decide. Should I go right or left? What will happen if I go right? Where will it lead me? What if I end up going someplace where I don’t want to go?

Now, contrast this picture I asked you to imagine with a different view. You have a clear idea of your destination, or at the very least, you have a broad picture of where you want to go. What would your mindset be then? In this situation, since the destination is known, instead of worrying about where you are going, your mind will be free, immersed in the present moment, enjoying the scenery and landscape.

The destination in the journey is a metaphor for your life goals. 

Eight out of Ten people I ask this question tell me they don’t have their life goals written down. Now, taking the analogy I have given above, would it be any surprise that these folks suffer from uncertainty, anxiety about how their life is faring? 

Life Goals are like the destination we know we are driving towards. The real power of goals is that they liberate us from uncertainty, worry and help us enjoy the here and now. Once you set your destination, you can enjoy the drive since you know where you are going. So, in a way, just having a goal creates a shift in your mind where you can enjoy the process of going after your goals. 

I wish someone had taught me this powerful idea when I was younger. 

The benefit of having life goals is that they make you happier today.