For much of my life, I believed in setting clear goals for everything I wanted to achieve. Fitness? “I want to look a certain way, and here’s what I need to do to get there.” Wealth? “I want these things, and this is my plan to acquire them.”
Everything had a destination, and each destination had milestones and steps meticulously plotted along the way.
After years of relentlessly pursuing these goals, I stumbled upon a profound realization: both the act of striving for a goal and the moment of achieving it are equally hollow. The fleeting satisfaction of reaching a milestone would quickly give way to a sense of emptiness, leaving me in a loop of either feeling bored with nothing to pursue or frantically setting up the next target.
I was running a race that had no end, competing with a version of myself that was never satisfied. Meanwhile, everyone around me was lost in their own races, too occupied to notice mine. It took me years to understand that I wasn’t really competing with anyone. I was just running in circles.
Once this realization took root, no mental gymnastics could make the concept of goals seem worthwhile again.
Not long after, I encountered the idea of being “path-oriented” instead of “goal-oriented.” It struck me as profound—or at least it sounded that way. I had no clue what it truly meant. So, naturally, I latched onto the idea, convinced it was some higher truth I needed to achieve.
For a long time, I continued setting goals, drawing the straightest line from point A to point B, and then calling that line my “path.” I convinced myself that I had become path-oriented. In reality, nothing had changed. I was merely renaming the same cycle of striving and yearning.
But recently, I’ve come to view life differently—a perspective that doesn’t revolve around goals at all. Looking back, I think this might be closer to what people mean when they talk about being “path-oriented.”
Now, when people ask me what my goals are, I tell them, “I don’t have goals anymore. I’m more path-oriented.”
Fortunately, no one has ever asked me to elaborate on what it means to be path-oriented. Which is just as well, because I’m still figuring that out myself. I think it has something to do with just enjoying the journey of life instead of worrying about where I am headed at any point in time, but I could be wrong so don’t quote me on that.
I’ve stopped setting goals. I still have dreams and wishes, but I no longer chase them. I drift along, doing whatever feels right in the moment—like a child exploring the world with curiosity rather than purpose. That’s it. It’s simple. It doesn’t sound like much, and honestly, it isn’t.
So, why am I doing this? I don’t know. But for some reason, life feels a lot more joyful now. I feel more alive than I ever have before. I can’t imagine going back to the old way of setting goals with its rigidity and emotional turmoil.
Would I suggest this way of living to anyone else? Absolutely not.
I assume you’re a driven, goal-oriented person who relentlessly pursues and accomplishes your dreams.
However, if you happen to stumble upon this pathless path, know that you’re not alone. It might be nice to find another wanderer in this strange, goal-less territory.
