What defines your life’s goals?

What defines your life’s goals? What makes you want to do the things you want to do?

Some of us prefer to focus on the end goals, and the means necessary to achieve them. I like to take the thought process a step further and ask why I have those end goals in the first place.

I mean, when you think about it, why do we want "success" or "wealth" or "power" or anything else? Why? To what end?

Take money, for instance. I mean, some people spend their whole lives seeking ways to make more and more money. I could certainly understand if the money were for some decent reason such as education for one’s children, or buying homes for one’s parents, or even something altruistic like helping to feed the world’s poor.

But sometimes, in the pursuit of money, or power, or success, people seem to lose sight of the fact that these are supposed to be TOOLS of life… things that help you get the "better things" that people aspire for.

Unfortunately, the more people get fixated on these things, the more these "tools" end up becoming the "things to aspire for."

I mean, if we forget the real reason we are on a particular path, would we ever know when it would be time to stop and smell the roses? Or would we just keep on trudging along, with the only goal being to get as far as we can on that path before we died?

Next time you think about your life, stop for a bit and look around. If you can’t recognize where the heck you are, and why the heck you’re there, perhaps it’s time to ask if you’re really living a life you want to live.