OK, so I didn’t know who Epictetus was either, but I liked what he is credited with saying: “First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.”

Read that again. Now, what do most people ask young persons? “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I remember hearing that question years ago when I was young, and I know I’ve asked people that myself. That is not the question Epictetus would have asked. He would ask, “What do you want to be?” There’s a subtle, important difference there; and it is important when you’re thinking about goals.

What would you be? A doctor? A lawyer? A truck driver? That wasn’t the question. The question was what would you be. Those other things are what you do, not who you are. You can do any of those things and be a person of principle, integrity, achievement, and even importance. The things you do simply support who you are.

This is why most goal-setting literature starts out having you think about your values. They really define who you are. That’s also why it’s so important that your goals are consistent with your values. If you try to achieve goals that do not support your values, you will probably fail to achieve them. In truth, you should hope you don’t! You want your goals to help you be the best you that you can be.

So, be sure you know what you want to be in the truest sense. Then set your goals so that you can do what you have to do!

Now, for the curious among you, Epictetus was a Greek stoic philosopher who lived in the first century. Come to think about it, that means the principles of successful goal setting goes back a long way!

Note: I hope you’ve noticed that there is a “Goal Quotations” block on the left side of this site. Check it out each time you come here; there will be different quotations showing up regularly to help inspire you.

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