BEING target-driven on a particular goal can be the driving force that keeps us going, possibly enabling us to reach heights we never thought we could achieve. If everything goes according to plan, your ego inflates, and suddenly, you believe that everything is possible. But what if things don’t go exactly as planned? Looming in is an overwhelming feeling of disappointment, and that once-inflated ego is reduced to a mere shadow of its former self, humbled after being slapped by reality

     “Just don’t be pessimistic, it’s unproductive,” they say. “It’s not about the goal, it’s the lessons you learn that truly matter,” As someone who has faced disappointment after disappointment, these words of encouragement suddenly become unrealistic platitudes, hollow and disconnected from the harsh realities I’ve endured.

     Perhaps I failed to realize that maybe, just maybe, this is an instance of what my demographic likes to call a ‘me’ problem and that I should just accept that life is unfair. If this is the case, why do we fool each other into believing that dreaming big and working hard will help us achieve our goals if the competition is rigged? Perhaps it’s an idea ingrained in us by the supreme corporate moguls that maybe one day we can be as rich and powerful as they are when, in reality, their best interest is to ensure that we stay in the class that we’re currently in, as suggested by Karl Marx’s class theory.

     That being said, does this mean that the notion of dreaming big or being goal-oriented should be thrown out of the window? Not exactly. If you believe that your goal is achievable and you possess an overflowing amount of confidence needed to take the world head-on, regardless of how unfair the competition is, go ahead. You might even be exceptional enough to reach your goal. Just be prepared to face possible disappointments along the way. But what about some of us who remain victims of the harshness of reality and drained of the will to go on? Will we ever achieve what we sought and ultimately achieve contentment?

     I’ll tell you this: In life, everyone will suggest that you should have a goal to look forward to, something that gives you a sense of purpose. However, I would argue that in some cases, it’s actually okay not to know what you want to do in life. In fact, to stay sane, it’s better to live without a fixed goal and embrace uncertainty. In this way, you allow yourself to be comfortable with the current situation rather than being too worried about the elusive future.

     The pressure of society to commit to a fixed goal sets unrealistic standards that weigh on everyone. I think that instead of committing to expect a predetermined outcome, we should simply focus on living—just doing life, not dying, and being present. Life will go on, and we will, by default, be something or someone, whether we plan it or not.