As I mentioned earlier, it is the underlying emotional commitment to some ideal or desire that provides the energy for motivation and accomplishment of specific steps. It is interesting to me that Stephen M. Shapiro's Goal-Free Living link showed up in my Google Ads on these pages. In spending some time reading his thoughts, I discovered that even someone who has spent as much time as Mr. Shapiro has considering and studying goals doesn't really understand what they are or why they are.

In fact, I would postulate that Mr. Shapiro is adept at setting and achieving goals of his own making, as evidenced by the development of his book.

Why do I mention this? Because it may be that I have not communicated the idea of goals and objectives due to the widespread mis-application of the overloaded terms. Therefore, let me be rightly understood: your goals and objectives--and the plans to reach them--are entirely within your own control. If the thing is not worth the work and other costs to achieve it, then of course you should not pursue it. If it is forced on you, why would you even consider its pursuit?

And yet, apparently, people do.

I can think of nothing so twisted than someone forcing goals and objectives on others and expecting them to go after them with gusto.

This is where emotional commitment enters the picture. As I have written here in the past, it is the role of a real leader to understand what is important to the members of his or her team, and to tie the team objectives to those deeply-held personal commitments. It is the task of each individual to determine whether or not the objectives teams on which they participate are compatible with their own commitments.

When they are in harmony, the results--both in terms of visible accomplishment and personal joy--are amazing. It is those results that make it worth the real effort required.