It is extremely good to have a purpose – on purpose. A purposeful life avoids purposeless wonderings.

More seriously, a sense of purpose makes life meaningful. Specifically, it is the satisfaction of achieving a goal that translates into meaning, especially if the goal is an important one to ourselves.

Purpose also makes life more disciplined as we are less likely to waste our precious time on activities that do not help us get closer to our goal.

If there are several concurrent goals, the outcome may not be as easy to achieve or may not be as effective as if one single, overriding and clear goal were to exist.

A clear and well-defined goal allows us to concentrate on it effectively our energies and psychic intent. A concentrated flow of energy, like the concentration of a sun’s rays through a magnifying glass, can burn through any obstacles ensuring speedy and sure success.

The difference between someone who is driven by a purpose and someone who is just drifting along through life is stark. The former exudes confidence and is outright inspiring, while the latter is generally avoided by others.

To paraphrase a Zen Buddhist koan, if you do not have a goal, how will you know that you have reached it?

Not all goals are alike. Some goals are lofty and absolutely positive, while others – even if well-formulated and well-executed – are better left unexpressed.

In the business world, objectives must be SMART. In other words, they must be

(S)pecific (fuzzy objectives lead to blurry outcomes, if any),

(M)easurable (if they cannot be measured, it is difficult to know if they have been attained),

(A)ttainable (impossibly far-fetched objectives may never be achieved making the entire effort futile),

(R)elevant (this ensures that the objective is indeed meaningful, rather than merely achievable) and

(T)ime-bound (they must be at least attainable in our own lifetime!).

Unlike business goals which mostly deal with material or near-tangible outcomes such as customers served, items produced or profits earned, goals of psychic or spiritual nature are subject to a different set of characteristics.

When it comes to psychic goals, the vibe and the thrust of the goal is just as important as the goal itself. A goal that is humanitarian in nature is worth more than an ordinary goal no matter how otherwise admirable the latter appears to be. This is because we as human beings attach more importance to the value of human life and its related aspects (hence the real fear of losing it) than we do to other kinds of goals.

Also, it is not only what is being done to achieve the goal but also how it is being done. A selfless, joyful and devoted attitude adds immensely to the ultimate value of the goal itself and greatly amplifies the satisfaction that follows its attainment.

Importantly, the purity and strength of the motivation that underlies the goal is of paramount importance. An otherwise worthy goal can yield half-hearted results if the motivation behind it lacks dynamism and is of questionable virtue.

A psychic goal should be of the SOULFUL kind. It should aim at the

(S)upreme or the highest plane of consciousness. It should be

(O)pen-minded and free of any egotistical constraints. It should be

(U)nifying in the sense that it must hold everything together at its core. It should be

(L)oving in its nature as it leads us to the final destination. It should be

(F)ulfilling in all the aspects of one’s being. It should be

(U)universal in its reach and all-encompassing in its application. And finally it should be

(L)iberating us from the tentacles of ignorance, the only thing that truly holds us back.

A SOULFUL goal is also a SACRED one. It is

(S)elfless as it does not imply pursuit of self-interest,

(A)spirational in that it originates in the depths of one’s inner cry and leads us beyond our self-imposed boundaries,

(C)ompassionate because it embodies the same quality plus forgiveness of the universal self,

(R)enewable because it always evolves as it draws on the limitless source of the universal energy,

(E)ternal because it originates in the ineffable beyond, and

(D)evotional, divine and delightful because it acts as a magnet drawing the highest closer to the aspirant.

A psychic goal can also be SMART, but in a different way than a business goal is. It is

(S)oulful rather than specific,

(M)anifestable rather than measurable,

(A)bsolute and not just attainable,

(R)eceptive rather than relevant and

(T)ranscendent rather than time-bound.

(S)oulful, because it comes from the depths of our soul and carries the most sacred of qualities,

(M)anifestable because it has to be manifested to the world to become visible so that it can be appreciated,

(A)bsolute because once attained it becomes one’s all-fulfilling possession,

(R)eceptive because to give one needs to receive first and

(T)ranscendent because it must by far surpass all previous achievements.

So let’s then be spiritually SMART and follow SOULFUL and SACRED goals, all the time.

For more articles on integrating meditation into the present-day lifestyle and for more information on starting a meditation practice of your own, visit www.GenevaMeditation.ch.