Idiotic Goals

I’ve signed up to get emails from Wordspy, a website that notifies me when a new word becomes part of the lexicon. I was recently sent this intriguing new word:
goalodicy—the pursuit of idiotic goals
“If you suffer from goalodicy you find yourself so obsessed by the goal that you ignore the realities. You will think that the achievement of the goal will save you from all the difficult work, sacrifices and choices that you really need to make. This suspension of reality leads to reckless behavior.” (Shaa Wasmond)
Christopher Kayes describes six symptoms of goalodicy:
-A narrow defined goal
-Public expectation
-Face-saving behavior
-A dream of an idealized future
-Goal-driven justification
-A sense of destiny
I’ve routinely run into people who suffer from goalodicy, yet justify it as ‘positive-thinking’. Whether it’s planning for a perfect wedding, a dream home, retirement, or becoming rich and famous—sometimes the goal takes over and blinds us to reality.

I’ve seen people who get so sucked up into their careers that they neglect their families. However, they believe that everything is fine.

I’ve known people who have become enslaved by debt to pursue their dreams. Yet, they justify this burden as a price that they and their families have to pay in order to succeed.

Most people are aware that aging and retirement are inevitable. Yet, preparing for this stage of life is considered as a lack of faith by some.

Societal expectations prod us to dream of an ideal life. We convince ourselves that it is more heroic to pursue our dreams than to face reality. Once we start on any venture, we are reluctant to back off, because we want to save face.

I’m reminded of a quote by President Lyndon B. Johnson: “While you're saving your face, you're losing your ass.”

Don’t become so obsessed with your vision of an idealized life that you ignore what is truly important. If you suffer from goaladicy, come to your senses before you lose everything.