The difference between a goal and an obligation

Obligations and goals have an uncomfortable relationship. They have an awful lot in common but they live in tension. Sometimes they get on each other's nerves.

Think of it like this:

A goal is a destination. A destination with a travel plan and a timeline. The travel plan and timeline are what distinguish a goal from a dream.

An obligation, on the other hand, is a weight you carry on your journey. It's baggage.

"Baggage" can sound negative, but it doesn't have to be negative. In fact, an obligation may be the most fulfilling part of your journey. For example, parents who feel an obligation to take care of their children carry the weight of nurturing those children. Most of the parents I know carry that weight gladly. It's a sweet weight. Treasured baggage.

Obligations don't have to be negative and shrewish, but sometimes they are. They've got a reputation.

Obligations have been known to snuff out fantasies. Maybe an appropriate euthanasia, but sometimes out-and-out murder. People who carry unwelcome obligations, the painful baggage, may try to hide from their obligations in fantasy. That doesn’t stop obligations from stomping on the fantasy. It's a gruesome circle of strife.

Sometimes the obligation and the goal are the same thing. That's a hard spot for me. I rail against obligations, and I feel obligated to have goals.
 

In some ways, the difference between a goal and an obligation is a matter of self-perception and choice. We decide to view something as an obligation or a goal. I see great similarities to the difference between fantasy and dream.

You're going to run into obligations and you're going to run into dreams.

Hold on tight to your dreams. If necessary, make an uneasy peace with your obligations.

Because goals feed dreams.