STOICISM AND GOALS

Regarding goals, a Stoic approach would be to focus on the process rather than the goal. 

The goal isn't relevant; how one works towards it is. Oddly, the process wouldn't exist without the goal. However, the important part is remembering which is the priority.

For instance if I have a goal in business (meeting a quota for example), I could accomplish it through crooked, deceitful, selfish means or I could accomplish it through honest and honorable strategies. It's less important that I meet the quota than how I manage to do so. 

Stoics also find value in failing virtuously. (In a way, if virtue is the ultimate goal, it's possible to never fail.) Like Socrates courageously facing execution, every act can be an opportunity to practice virtue and wisdom.

Ryan Holiday's book, “The Obstacle is the Way” is full of other examples. In it are dozens of stories of people living Stoic principles; most of them: very driven and goal oriented. The processes involved in working towards their goals gave them ample opportunities to demonstrate the principles and the stoic mindset. 

The most inspiring examples are the stories of how many responded to failure and adversity. Hurricane Carter, Amelia Earhart, and James Stockdale all found themselves in situations that would throw most people off the “Stoic wagon.” There's a lot to be learned by how they chose to respond instead. 

Failure/adversity = external
Choice/response = internal

Stoicism is a practice. The many possible choices, actions, thoughts, and decisions (internals) involved in the process of working towards goals (externals) are opportunities to practice. The external goals are secondary to the internal goal. 

Working hard, not allowing distractions, giving your best- this is all virtuous behavior (these behaviors are dependent on Courage). This behavior is more important than whether one accomplishes a said goal or not -but- at the same time is paradoxically dependent on having the goal in the first place in order to exist. 

There are many overlaps between Stoicism and eastern philosophies like Buddhism and Taosim. This is but one “East meets West” of philosophy. The above stated paradoxical quality of Stoicism is one example. 

Herrigel’s classic, “Zen in the Art of Archery” demonstrates this same point. While learning the art, the more he tried to hit the bull’s eye, he missed. Eventually by forgetting the goal he found success. What mattered in the end was not that he hit the target. In fact he could only hit the target by ceasing to even view the target as a target and himself as the archer (a la: “there is no spoon”).

Ultimately there was no target or shooter; there was only shooting and hitting. By emptying the mind and realizing this truth, Herrigel happened to experience the byproduct: hitting the bullseye.

A necessary factor in any game is that the players play and that they try to win. But ultimately, it's not whether they win or lose that matters but rather: *how* they play the game.

In the game of life, don’t focus on the goal. There is no goal. 

There is only process.Trust the process