Goals are based on two things: (1) ‘What’s important to me?’ and (2) ‘What can I do to experience this important thing in my life?’
Make sure you remember the basics. People sometimes set goals ‘just because’ ‘just because others do them, or just because it seems like the thing to do. For example, I talk to people sometimes who say they regret becoming parents (even though they love their kids). I ask: ‘Why did you become a parent?’ and the answer is usually: ‘It’s just what you do.’ This is NOT the way to approach anything in life–parenting, career, or anything else.
You might want to do a goal inventory. You might want to take a look at every goal you’re pursing right now, big and small, and identify whether all, some or none of the goals are consistent with what’s important to you. Try to eliminate the ones that do not reflect what’s important to you. Goals that don’t fit with what’s actually important to you are like keeping or wearing clothes that don’t fit. One makes no more sense than the other. Ask yourself: What goals in your life, if any, do not fit you right now? You can get new ones.