Setting a goal can be dangerous.

Or so I was told. Which goes against my ever-insatiable drive to accomplish more, move forward, and know what’s next.

It’s an ingrained human instinct to desire more. You find yourself at point A and want to reach B, but as soon as you find yourself at B you’re looking for point C. You think: if I just get there, then I will be happy. If I just had this car or this money or this thing, then I’ll be satisfied.

However, once you get there, it’s time for the next quest. The next drive to find that ever-elusive state of satisfaction. Of happiness.

In actuality, it’s the never-ending dissatisfaction of trying to reach a goal that is dangerous.

The goal, in a sense, is irrelevant because both points are illusionary. A is behind us, we’ve left that space, and B doesn’t exist, we’re not even there yet. So we are constantly in a transition, constantly on the treadmill of wanting. Constantly missing the moment we are in and the invaluable lessons presented to us.

We are so focused on the destination, but the destination is always changing – circumstances change, things come up and challenges obstruct plans and paths.

Creating goals to stay motivated and keep you inspired are great, but keeping them flexible can relieve pressure and expectations. Smaller milestones along the way can provide tangible accomplishments more frequently, which can maintain your sense of purpose and inspiration. They can also be good checkpoints in order to re-evaluate and decide which direction to go in next, rather than aimlessly pursuing a goal you made that is either fading in definition or no longer inspiring.

The goal may even change altogether.

Smaller steps keep things open for new opportunities to inspire you and even take you in a direction you had never considered.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said,

“Change alone is unchanging.”

Paradoxically, the only thing that doesn’t change is that everything changes. So remain open and do not be discouraged if things do not go according to the plan you had envisaged. The reality is almost never as the expectation intended.

If you need help defining your goals and support around career change, get in touch here!