<center><h1>What is Goal Setting</h1></center> Goal-setting is an act of focus. You have one life, limited time and resources, and goals help you decide how you're going to spend them. You could speak (and read) ad nauseam about the proper way to set a goal. There are limitless frameworks to leverage, but I don't use goal-setting frameworks. They are overkill and often get in the way of accomplishing the goals you set. Instead, I get something in my mind and then I do it. I'll write my goals down in a notes app or on a whiteboard to help me prioritize, but complexity beyond that is meaningless. After all, what matters more is understanding how goals actually work - their structure, their purpose, and how they shape our attention. ## Anatomy of a Goal Goals are commitments to future states of being - promises we make to ourselves about who we'll become or what we'll achieve. They range from concrete tasks like writing a novel to abstract states like "being happy," each carrying its own timeline and complexity. Goals carry different weight for individuals. You might intuit that running your first marathon will feel better than getting a promotion. Both are important to you. And the value of each varies dramatically between each of us. They *should be* deeply personal, though many of us let society dictate what our goals should be. Often without much consideration to how they will effect us as individuals. Goals may have a series of subordinate goals. Sub-goals may become more important than the primary goal temporarily or permanently. Goals may relate to our ideal selves. The difference between being an author and getting a book published. Goals are a bet on how well aligned our present and future selves will be. You set goals expecting your future self will have the same ideals, circumstances, and passions. ## Value of Goals Goals transform abstract desires into concrete possibilities. They bridge the gap between wishful thinking and purposeful action, creating a framework for decision-making. When you're uncertain about what to do next, your goals serve as a north star. The true value of goals isn't in their achievement but in how they shape your daily choices. They act as filters, helping you decide what opportunities to pursue and which to pass on. Every "yes" carries an opportunity cost, and goals help you weigh these tradeoffs. Goals can also protect your attention. Having clear objectives makes it easier to recognize and resist distractions. This isn't just about saying "no" - it's about having a compelling reason to say "yes" to what matters. Your goals might shift or evolve, and that's part of their value too. The process of setting, pursuing, and sometimes abandoning goals helps you understand yourself better. You learn what truly matters to you, not just what you think should matter. ## Attending to Goals Goals shape our attention by providing clear targets that direct our focus and filter out unwanted distractions. Keeping our goals in mind helps us prioritize relevant information and disregard unrelated inputs. This increases our concentration and effort. When you create a goal you're actively choosing to pursue a narrow path to the detriment of other options. This narrowing of focus is both a strength and a limitation. While it helps us progress toward our chosen objectives, it can also create blind spots. You might miss valuable opportunities or insights that fall outside our goal-directed attention. Goals also influence what we notice in our environment. Once you set a goal, you begin to see resources, opportunities, and connections related to that goal that were always present but previously invisible to you. A person who decides to start running suddenly notices running trails, athletic wear stores, and fellow runners in their neighborhood. This selective attention extends beyond the physical world into how you process information and make decisions. Goals act as a lens through which you view your experiences, helping us extract relevant lessons and insights from our daily activities.