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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

Accomplishments Without Goals

“The worst thing you can do in life is set goals.”
—Stephen Fry

I didn’t have any goals last year. Seriously, no goals at all. If I’d set out to do any of the stuff I did—if I’d made it my goal to tour 43 cities, or to be featured on CBS This Morning or in USA Today—I’d likely’ve pulled my hair out. Imagine my look of defeat, the pang of disappointment, when I failed to achieve just one of my precious goals. No thanks.

You see, I didn’t need goals to tell me what to do with my life. What could goals’ve possibly helped me with? Being happy? Why would goals make me happy? Because accomplishing them would give me permission to be happy?

No. That didn’t work for me. I knew I could give myself permission now and still accomplish all sorts of accomplishments along the way.

There was a time when goals were important in my life, but these days I’m just focused on my direction. The accomplishments tend to mount as you keeping traveling down the right path.