Long-Term Goals
4 minute read
There’s something appealing about long-term goals. They represent a promise made by our present self to our future self for a more fulfilling life. These goals often start with a sense of clarity: "I want to be fluent in Korean. I want to get into MIT. I want to become a more disciplined person." But somewhere between the spark of intention and the reality of commitment, the appeal fades.
So what happened?
Delay and Change
I think part of the problem is that long-term goals often require us to put in effort today for a reward that may not come for months, years, or even decades. And in a world where everything is so fast, notifications are instant, scrolling gives dopamine hits every few seconds, and everything is so readily accessible, choosing slow rewards can feel straight-up unrewarding. It sucks when you spend a few weeks working out and you can't see any noticeable difference in your body. It sucks when you study a language for a few weeks and you still cannot form a sentence on your own. But it’s not that we’re lazy; it’s that the payoff feels too abstract, too minuscule. The version of us who we imagine successful five years from now seems like a stranger compared to the one who’s burnt out or tired today.
Another complication is that goals often seem linear (or even logarithmic) when we first take them on. We often imagine a step-by-step path to our destination, but real life rarely moves linearly. You lose momentum. You get sick. Other priorities arise and you must deal with them. And then there’s the internal conflict—when the goal you once chased and dreamed about stops feeling like your own. Your goals lose the novelty they had when they were nascent, and you're left struggling with your thoughts. Do you keep going, do you change course, or do you just quit?
Upshot
But despite their frustrations, I think that long-term goals have value, not because they guarantee achievement, but because they ask us to become someone capable of working toward something uncertain. They teach us discipline, but also flexibility. They challenge us to zoom out, to think beyond temporary discomfort or fleeting feelings, and to recognize the value in delayed gratification, which is especially hard when an unlimited source of dopamine is at your fingertips. But most importantly, they reveal to us what actually matters to us. If you can return to the same goal, again and again, even after moments of doubt and wanting to give up, then maybe, just maybe, it’s a goal worth keeping.
Not every long-term goal will be completed. Some will evolve, and some will dissolve. And that’s okay. The value isn’t only in the result, but in the process: the daily decisions, the sacrifices, the determination required, and the small victories that you celebrate along the way. Long-term goals remind us that we are not just who we are today, but who we’re slowly becoming.
"Change takes time, but meaningful change requires effort." --James Lee
Life Update!
Yes, another one of these. I'm not doing too well right now. My sleep has once again fallen off a cliff, and the negative effects are much more noticeable this time. The stress of AP Exams is also becoming a big burden, and through all of this, I still try to push forward. Let's just hope this month goes well. I'm really looking forward to this summer, and I'm confident that I can spend my time efficiently. But that's all for now.
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