Choosing Your Life Goal

Don’t be afraid to ask yourself some serious questions in life which most people avoid. That’s why they’re not happy!

1. What gives me the feeling of inner gratification?

2. Do I have a goal or am I going nowhere?

3. Am I living according to my desires or according to the desires and expectations of others?

4. What are my good points?

5. Am I performing my task on earth?

By answering the above five questions, we will not only determine where we are in life, but we will be able to choose the goal – that particular path up the mountain – which will bring us to our personal peak.

From this moment on, forget about other people’s peaks and paths. Keep focused on your own. Despite what society and the media tell you, you are competing with no one but yourself.

Now, let’s elaborate on the above four questions, which will enable us to assess ourselves much more proficiently.

First, what gives me the feeling of inner gratification? Here, we must differentiate between the temporary thrill and the lasting gratification. Sure, eating the chocolate-covered donut is heaven, but sorely limited. Most people regret eating it only seconds after they swallow the last bite, for all we’re left with is the empty calories. We can therefore agree that eating chocolate-covered donuts – as well as other bodily indulgences – will not bring us lasting gratification.

What makes you feel good inside? What makes you proud of yourself? What gives you so much satisfaction that you don’t need the praises or approval of others? The answers to these questions are markers that indicate the particular path in life you’d be happy and successful in choosing.

Second,  do I have a goal or am I going nowhere? So many people in life are simply treading water, working to exist and existing to work. Is a bi-weekly or monthly pay-check all we have to look forward to? People are sad and depressed because they lack an ultimate goal. Hardship and pain are peripheral issues when a person is focused on a goal. But without a goal in life, they are unbearable.

There’s a world of difference between an individual who practices medicine as a means to make money and an individual who dreams of easing human suffering. The former will never treat an inner-city child whose parents can’t afford to pay; the latter – acting just like his Creator – has compassion on the sick child. By treating him, the merciful physician is making the world a better place.

Making money is a goal, but it’s neither lasting or gratifying. One of two things happen to money – either a person is taken away from his money or the money is taken away from the person. The two never remain together for posterity.

A meaningful goal is one that no one can ever take away from you.

A chinchilla exists, but it just keeps running around and around on the same wheel. We are humans, not chinchillas. We can’t go up the mountain until we get off the wheel that keeps us in one place, despite all the energy we’re exerting.

Third, am I living according to my desires or according to the desires and expectations of others? So many parents often force children to do things that the child cannot stand. For example, the football-playing father who never made the first-string team dreams of his son being the star player and forces football down the son’s throat. But maybe the son dreams of being a violinist? Under his father’s pressure, he’ll never be happy or successful. he won’t succeed as a football player and he won’t be able to develop as a violinist. That’s double frustration!

True self-assessment means taking a serious look at ourselves and asking ourselves probing, fib-busting questions: am I doing what I want to do, or am I meandering along a path that others have made for me? Am on following the path that’s right for me? What do I want from myself? Where do I want to go?

The answers to the above questions are additional markers that indicate the particular path in life you’d be happy and successful in choosing.

Fourth, what are my good points? Our good points are the special qualities, talents and aptitudes that the Creator instills within each of us in order to enable us to climb our own individual mountain in life and reach our peak. Our good points are our tools that facilitate getting us up the mountain. Just as a mountain climber needs a good back pack, ropes, boots, hammer, and pegs to get up the mountain, we need our own special tools to enable us to accomplish our mission in life.

Fifth, am I performing my task on earth? Positive answers to the previous four questions is an indication that you’re successfully doing the job that The Creator sent you down here on earth to do. Here’s why: The Creator creates each and every being with a unique trait of its own. You are no exception. The particular attribute, skill, or talent that He instills in you enables you to accomplish your own very special mission on earth.

With the above thought in mind, if you feel unhappy or unfulfilled, you most certainly haven’t yet tapped your own rich resources, and therefore are not yet fulfilling your own distinctive mission.

Don’t be Fooled

Modern society dupes people into setting materialistic goals for themselves, but no money, fame or fancy “toys” can satisfy the soul. The soul is only satisfied when it fulfills its mission on earth. So, don’t be fooled into making money or fame your goal in life.

Material amenities can’t buy character improvement or inner peace, nor will they enable you to leave your mark on earth, unless your goal is to be a major philanthropist. The fame and fortune of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendricks, and a long list of other rich and famous people didn’t prevent their descent to the grave at an early age.

Finding my Destination

Once we take the candid answers of the five questions that we asked ourselves in self-assessment, and we add a little personal prayer to The Creator to help us gain clarity, we’ll surely establish the right destination to set our sights on. We begin to be much more focused and productive, for we now have a clear goal. We no longer waste time on inconsequential endeavors. What fantastic blessings!