500 - 0 BC / Confucius / Goal Achievement Steps

Goal Planning According to Confucius

By Effluo | Published December 3, 2021 | 1 Comment

If you were to travel back 2,500 years to sit down with Confucius, what would he teach you? Luckily, no time travel is required to learn from him. In the collection of his sayings, Analects of Confucius, we can do an in-depth study into the teachings of this great master. His main focus was self-development, focusing on humaneness, righteousness, and propriety. Self-development is an all-encompassing term, here we will look at goal planning and goal setting.

Why is goal planning important?

Those whose care extends not far ahead will find their troubles near at hand

Confucius

In a more modern translation, this teaching states that if you do not plan for the future, don’t be surprised if troubles find you.

“If a person does not plan and prepare for the future, he must be beset by worries and troubles very soon.”

Confucius

Some plans may fail, however, not planning guarantees failure. There was no teaching stating that you need a five-year or a ten-year plan. However, you do need to plan.

Confucius had a few things to say about the types of plans or goals that should be set, and the questions that you should ask when setting each goal.

Question 1: Is this truly my goal?

The Master said, “When your paths [dao] are different, there is no point in seeking advice from one another.”

Confucius

When you sit down to make a goal plan, ask yourself some questions.

Why do I want to complete this goal?

Is this is truly my goal?

Every person you know is on their own path in life. These people have their own dreams and ambitions. Often these ambitions and dreams will creep into your life path. You may have been told what you should be striving for and what your dreams should be. Yes, other people may have your best interests in mind, but these other people are not you. Their dreams are not your dreams. Their paths are not your path.

Confucius said, that when your paths are different, there is no point in seeking advice from one another. Let’s just clarify this, seeking advice is important and often critical, however, not when it comes to figuring out what YOUR dreams should be. It is your life path and it is your dream, no one can tell you what your path should be.

Therefore, when setting a goal ask yourself this very important question. Is this truly my goal?

Question 2: Is my goal fair to everyone concerned?

If you work for your own selfish ends, you will make many enemies

Confucius

After looking at the goal and asking if the goal is truly your goal. Next, you should ask the following.

Is my goal fair to everyone concerned?

Remember you live in a community of people, and your life is interconnected with the lives of others. It is critical that you know your life path and follow it. It is also critical that you do not stand in a way of others doing the same. If in setting your goals, you work only for your selfish needs, you will have unhappy people, and according to Confucius, even enemies in your life.

Let’s say your goal is to drop everything and go travel the world, to learn about different cultures. You realized that this is truly your goal. The next question is, is it fair to everyone concerned? If you are just out of college and are free to do so, then absolutely go without thinking too much about it. If you are married with a full-time job and three children, you need to take that into account when making this decision. Needless to say, that if you leave your responsibilities to pursue your dream, you are setting yourself up for failure. However, if you plan to do it at a time that is better suited for pursuing this goal, you are setting yourself up for success.

Therefore, the second question that should always follow the first is just as important. Is my goal fair to everyone concerned?

Summary

Goal planning is an important part of a successful journey called life. When setting goals it is important to look at each goal individually and ask the following questions.

1. Why do I want to complete this goal?
2. Is this truly my goal?
3. Is my goal fair to everyone concerned?

Once the goals are set, it is time to execute. Read Goal Achievement Steps According to Confucius to learn what Confucius had to say about best approach to achieving your goals.

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