I have always been a very goal-oriented person. But over the years, I slowly realized that it was not my achieving the goals that was benefiting me. Having goals is very important because working toward those goals is what keeps you moving forward. But it is not the actual achieving of the goals that counts! It is your path to your goal.

The mistake often made is focusing only on your goal. When the really important thing, the thing that really allows you to grow, is the steps along the way. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you achieve your goal. What matters is what you learn on your way to that goal.

As you work toward a goal, you acquire knowledge, strength, and skill. When I have worked toward a fitness goal, I have gained new fitness levels along the way.  When I am working to achieve something in my paintings, I acquire new skills that finally get me there, and in the business world, I gain connections, information, and knowledge that get me to my goal.

The most wonderful thing about not focusing on your goal exclusively is the open mindedness that allows you to shift your focus. You may learn things during your journey to your goal that enable you to see a new and better path to your goal or a completely different goal that will benefit you more.

I always thought that what had made me successful in life was being goal-oriented, but now I realize it was everything I learned on my way to these goals. So set your goals but hold them lightly. Let them guide you, not define you. Stay open to what the journey is trying to teach you and allow yourself to evolve along the way. Because in the end, a life well-lived isn’t measured by what you achieved- it’s measured by how fully you experienced the path getting there.