Moving beyond goals

minimalism.com

Jan 06, 2025

“In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have.” – Derek Sivers

Moving beyond goals

You can’t manage what you don’t measure — this was the corporate mantra by which I lived for a long time. And it’s total bullshit.

We used to measure everything at my old job: There were 29 metrics for which we were responsible every single day (even on weekends). There was morning reporting, 3 p.m. updates, 6 p.m. updates, and end-of-day reporting.

I was consumed by numbers. After a while, I even started dreaming in spreadsheet format.

Then I realized something: it didn’t really matter. The goals were never as powerful as someone’s internal motivations.

People work hard for two reasons: they are externally inspired, or they are internally motivated. Sometimes it’s a combination of both.

Some people can be momentarily inspired by goal attainment, but that kind of inspiration is impermanent, and it doesn’t last beyond the goal itself.

Conversely, intrinsic motivation — such as the desire to grow or contribute — carries on long after the goal is met. It often carries on in perpetuity. External inspiration can be the trigger, but internal motivation is what fuels someone’s desire. When you discover your true motivation, you don’t need an arbitrary goal.

Goals are for the unmotivated. This is one of the reasons I got rid of mine — so I could focus on what’s important, so I could focus on living a life centered around health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution. I don’t need goals to focus on these aspects of my life, because I’m already motivated by these values. Having goals for these things would be irrelevant; I simply need to live my life in accordance with these principles.

Words by Joshua Fields Millburn

01 – Journal

Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal

At what point is enough, enough? — What "enough" looks like for each of us is personal (by Carl Phillips)
Create space for stillness — Why it’s important to focus on the right things in the right way (by Kelly Foss)
A watered-down life — Life is too short to be diluted (by Andrew Rocha)

Share your story

Do you have an interesting story you would like to share on minimalism.com? We want to read about it. You have the opportunity write about your experience of how minimalism has impacted your life and get your words published in our community journal.

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02 – Minimal art

From our curated gallery

Explore a visual catalog and discover artist profiles

03 – Minimal design

Explore our list of curated design resources

Reflection journal + pen by Walden (tool/hardware)
Daylight tablet (tool/hardware)
Concrete architecture by Phaidon (book/architecture)

04 – Minimal lifestyle

Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living

In / Out by Carl Barenbrug (article)
The correct amount of ads is zero by Manu (article)
Hell yeah or no by Derek Sivers (book)

05 – Shop

Discover our hand-picked minimalist products in the Minimalism Life® shop

06 – Brands anchored by simplicity and sustainability

Minimalism can be about frugality and owning less, but it can also be about supporting ethical brands with sustainability at their core. Here’s several that you might be interested learning more about: