Marshall Goldsmith's got a good one in Fast Company this week… Here's the link to his article in which he says (correctly) that we should “stop obsessing about goals and focus on mission.”
I thought the whole piece was good, but the part that spoke the most for me was the personal side of the story. Here's a good sample Quote:
The canyons of Wall Street are littered with victims of goal obsession.
I asked one hard-driving deal maker, “Mike, why do you work all of the time?”
He replied, “Why do you think? Do you think I love this place? I am working so hard because I want to make a lot of money!”
I continued my inquiry, “Do you really need this much money?”
“I do now,” Mike grimaced. “I just got divorced for the third time. With three alimony checks every month, I am almost broke.”
“Why do you keep getting divorced?” I asked.
The answer came out as a sad sigh. “All three wives kept complaining that I worked all the time. They have no idea how hard it is to make this much money!”
I've always felt that it's important to know how much is “enough money.” Keeping that “enough is enough” notion in mind has kept me out of a lot of trouble over the years, and left me a lot more time to mess around with my family, friends and quirky sideline interests.