Achieving Goals Doesn't Equal Meaningful Life

That's Philosophical #21

Oct 27, 2021

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Humans tend to oversimplify things. It is easier to live that way. For many people, life is about setting goals and accomplishing things. Some believe that life is about finding what you love and having a good time doing it.

There is nothing wrong with these views. But I have a different opinion. You can hear how everyone is saying “love what you do” and it is really important. You don’t want to spend irreversible time on what other people expect from you without enjoyment.

But it doesn't mean that our lives are just about doing things.

Loving what you do in life doesn’t mean it would result in a life that was worth living through.

What do you choose?

I am no one to judge how life should be lived, but I wanted to share my perspective. Dedicating your whole life to being occupied by your hobby, job, or craft will leave you with an important realization. You enjoyed only a handful of life’s fruits.

Finding what you do might be one of the most worthwhile things to achieve in life. But if you only focus on committing to your craft, then you are missing out on everything else around you. Life around you is a miracle itself, and you don't need to achieve anything to enjoy every bit of it.

If you solely dedicate your time to a hobby, you are not giving yourself space to look around and appreciate the beauty of life. This beauty is not only contained in what you love doing but in the world around us.

The beauty is in the people who are worth spending time with. The beauty is in the nature that humans are a part of. The beauty is in the food you eat. Countries you visit. Cultures you explore. This beauty is everywhere, and it's not worth it putting it off for later to pursue your favorite thing to do.

Anyone can enjoy life. Not anyone can find something they will love doing.

The Balance

There is a really good animated movie on this topic- Disney’s Soul. It explores the question of whether having a passion means living a fulfilled life. The main character loved jazz so much, it invaded all aspects of his life. He was caught up in his thoughts, unable to look at himself from a different angle. He understood that there should be a clear line between favorite work and personal life.

However, I might be wrong. It is possible to enjoy life and whatever you do at the same time. I think that there is a line where work or hobby could invade your life. At this point, it becomes an obsession and it's no longer healthy.

It all basically comes down to work-life balance.

In one of my previous issues, I talked about the importance of focusing on the process and not the end goal. This also relates to being too caught up in something, you forget why you started.

I noticed that a lot of things in life are solved by staying mindful of your decisions. If you don’t notice that you are focusing on the wrong thing, you will probably be on the wrong path.

The Meaning

Meaning of life is one of the biggest topics in philosophy. I found an insightful infographic that shows the main beliefs on the meaning of life throughout the centuries. Which one do you think you can relate to the most?

Passion still is a big part of my life. And I am puzzled with a question of how much of my time I should spend on it. At the end of the day, I want to live a life I won’t regret.

I love a quote by Jim Carrey that inspired me to live a more intentional life and not only care about my goals: