Reaching Goals by Muhammad Raza

 Reaching Goals by Muhammad Raza

Goals are amazing things: they serve as a means of improving ourselves, achieving stature from a material or societal point of view, and for some, they even give meaning to life. Achieving individual goals, depending on the context, is at the very least extremely fulfilling and at the very best a peak moment in someone’s life. Whether it be getting a promotion at work, earning an A in Calculus, or being accepted into your dream college, goals give us something to work for and give us motivation and pleasure as we get closer and closer to them. 

And while goals are undeniably great in many regards, one aspect that many people do not bring up when discussing goals is the possibility of not achieving them. Popular media, whether it be movies, anime, or video games, often portray protagonists eventually achieving what they want through hard work or discipline. Reality, unfortunately, is messier, and sometimes, no matter what you do, it seems as if life itself is working against you every possible moment to ensure that you do not get what you work for. And the sad truth is that some people just don’t achieve their goals. 

Something similar has happened to me very recently. I have failed to fulfill a goal that I have dedicated almost every day for the past 8 months, and I’m currently at a loss for what to do. It seems like every inconvenience, late night, and body ache I put forth to achieve this dream was all for nothing, and it’s hard to see yourself work so much harder than others to no benefit. It’s been a harsh reminder for me that nothing in life is guaranteed, no matter how much you want it or how much you work for it, and that complaining will not get you any closer either. 

However, if I’ve learned anything from those aforementioned movies, anime, and video games, it is that the most stubborn, hard-headed guy always seems to get what he wants in the end. The way I’m looking at it right now is that moping around won’t solve anything, and that if I still continue to strive for this goal, I will either achieve it or fail, but in any case, the journey has been (and will definitely continue to be) fun and fulfilling in and of itself. I guess it shows that maybe there is some truth in the cliche “it’s about the journey, not the destination” because the destination is not guaranteed, but you can control the journey and make yourself better through it.