Difference Between Goal Setting and Life Purpose

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Most people might get confused with this statement - what exactly is the difference between goal setting and life purpose! But when you think about it for a minute, you will realize there is a vast difference between life goal and life purpose. Though it is quite confusing to some of us, when we think about it seriously, and look in your heart, you will feel that the difference is crystal clear. Let's have a look at what exactly these both concepts stand for and how they are different from each other.

Life Goal

Life goal is something that can be called as the basic needs of human life. To stay alive there are certain basic needs that have to be fulfilled. To fulfill these basic needs we organize our days, months, years and sometimes a whole of our life. What are these basic needs? Food, shelter, and clothing are our three basic needs. To acquire these amenities we work hard and select our work or professions influenced by our social, economic and cultural background. This is where our goal of life lies. Our basic goal of life is earning a livelihood and maintaining a lifestyle suiting our background and culture.

Believe it or not, most of the time we are so involved in fulfilling our requirements that we are not left with any time or need to think anything else than earning bread and butter. Oblivious of this fact that human life has much more to do and give than simply taking birth, surviving and dying aimlessly. And this happens most of the time for a majority of people. They are so entangled with their basic needs that their life has no other motive than that of staying alive.

Life Purpose

But human life is so precious and unique, that wasting it just for the purpose of 'staying alive', is quite ridiculous. We need to raise our standards from just meeting our basic needs or things, and do something that pleases us internally. This is something we don't do for earning money or getting names and fame, but for the sake of our own pleasure, enjoyment or even bliss. This thought process leads us towards our life purpose.

Have you ever thought why most of the known scientists, celebrities, world famous doctors, leaders belong to developed countries? Why would that be? It doesn't necessarily mean that under developed or developing countries did not create such prodigies at all but the ratio cannot compete with the developed countries. Why is that so? It is because they have acquired all the life needs that can be termed as basic needs. They could spare time and resources to pursue their passions or purpose of life. They wanted to do something unique and different that they can enjoy and have driven passion for it. That's where they carve their purpose of life.

Life Goal and Life Purpose

So we can say that life goal and life purpose are altogether two different aspects and processes to lead a life. When we live only for the sake of living and staying alive we are bound to pursue our life goal. But when we get out of this realm of such petty requisites and think of something different and more fruitful only then we aim towards our life purpose. It's now, entirely your own decision if you wish to pursue your life goal or your life purpose. No doubt without pursuing life goal thinking of life purpose is baseless. You need to bring your life to such a pedestal where you are free from all thoughts of primary needs then you can move towards your life purpose. You must not forget the difference between goal and life purpose while pursuing your purpose of life.