Per

Goals are overestimated. Sure, they mark achievements, sometimes significant ones. They can provide you with a sense of satisfaction in the short-term. But then it ends just about there. Goals are no safe harbor. If you work hard to reach a goal and settle down thinking this was it, you are likely to feel unease. Why is this so? I think the goal itself is not the problem, but the fact that the world around it changes. Important events of the past are forgotten as we are caught up in our everyday lives. Also, goals tend to be black and white (reached vs not reached) whereas in the real world we always operate in shades of gray.

Paths could provide greater satisfaction. Paths need to be defined by milestones, and these differ from individual goals since they are all interlinked. A single milestone could have status not reached while you are still travelling in the same path. This allows you to fail on certain points without losing the sense of direction.

Should you discover that one milestone is more fulfilling than another, you can add more of the same stuff. The important part is that if someone chops of the branch you are sitting on you will still know where your tree is standing. And if you understand that the milestones are all interlinked you realize that more of one thing requires doing less of the other. Then you understand that life is about priorities and that you can in fact prioritize to feel good.