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A goal is not always meant to be reached: The purpose of goals is not to overwhelm you or make you feel bad. They serve the good purpose of helping you to aspire to achieve something in your life. In this article, we talk about the meaning of this quote by Bruce Lee, the purpose of goal setting and how to deal with failure to achieve goals.

A goal is not always meant to be reached

A beautiful quote by Bruce lee about the purpose of goal and its key direction for our lives. We’re often too hung up on goals and the desire to achieve them. Sometimes, we’re so consumed by these goals that we don’t stop to think about the purpose and need of these goals.

Let’s take a step back and ask the question – why is a goal important in your life? What does it make you feel to achieve it? The reason I’m asking these questions is to understand the impact of your personal values on these goals. Values cannot be for the sake of goals. It is the other way round. If you look at the big picture, your goals are a way to reflect your values and what’s truly very important to you.

Any moment you’re having a crisis about not achieving your goals or feeling bad about failure to achieve goals – stop and think again. What is the big picture? Why is this goal important to you and most importantly – is the goal still serving your purpose?

The quote easily states – a goal is not always meant to be reached. But it is up to you and me to define what failure to achieve goals means and how it will impact our lives.

Purpose of goal

I want to talk a little bit about the purpose of goal. What is it meant to give you – surely a goal is one of the most important things you’re focusing on right now. It tells you what the most important thing in life at this point is. But, does it also give you the following:

• Sense of direction – A path of where you’re headed in your life or a specific aspect of it? A goal need not be everything but should give you a direction and path. The specifics of the goal can change, but its values give you a path to move ahead.
• Measuring success – Part of having goals is to measure your success. Remember, a goal is not always meant to be achieved, but it must be measured. That’s the only way you know whether you’re moving ahead or not. A 90% success is also a great success- don’t get hung up on perfection.
• Change approach when needed – A goal is only a direction and final result. It demands that you change your approach to give you the best chance of success. These goals can be deceiving at times, but stay close to your values and keep checking the purpose of goal to achieve what you want.

Failure to achieve goals

The last point I want to make in a goal is not always meant to be reached is about how we deal with failure to achieve goals. These goals are very important for our life because they mean so much. But they can’t be more important than life itself.

Failure to achieve goals tells us many things. But mostly it is about the approach you’ve taken. Some of the most important aspects to consider are:

• It only says that your approach needs to change – A failure is not personal – doesn’t even mean that your goal needs to change. It can only be a feedback about your approach. Review what your failures are telling you. You can always use this to start again intelligently.
• It might only be a delay and not a denial – Sometimes failures are merely about timing. It applies to our approaches – this can mean that your goals might take longer to achieve.
• Don’t take it personally – This is the last but the most important point I want to make. Don’t take your failures personally. These outcomes only indicate that something has gone wrong and needs a change. Don’t let this bother you as much. Change your approach and reapply new strategies to make things work for you.

A goal is not always meant to be reached

Bruce Lee (Source)