What is the Goal of Life?

Finding a purpose in this human life is something most people strive towards and is regarded as a vital aspect to a persons well being and sense of success and progress. Setting goals is a beneficial exercise to practice in order to be successful. To start with it acts as the first step towards success, giving you a point of focus and motivation. You wouldn't get into a taxi and not know where it was you wanted to go, the taxi driver will require your destination or you won’t be going anywhere. Goals are inner desires that you wish to manifest. They also encourage positive thinking and aid self improvement. 

Spiritual Goals

As spirit souls dwindling through the material world taking one birth after another, it is easy to feel lost and without a meaningful goal or direction in life. When lost it is wise to ask for directions and so by inquiring submissively to a spiritual master who has already found the path to self-realisation and seeking guidance from pure devotees of the Lord, one may find answers. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada is a spiritual master and founder of the Hare Krishna movement. From his books he tells us that the ultimate goal of life is to attain the highest perfectional stage of devotional service to the Lord. As God is the source of all happiness and love the essence of spiritual life is to develop love for God. Our goal is to rekindle that lost connection with Lord Krishna.  

Srila Prabhupada says: According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages of spiritual advancement, namely, sambandha-jñāna, abhidheya and prayojana. 

• Sambandha-jñāna refers to establishing one's original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
• Abhidheya refers to acting according to that constitutional relationship
• Prayojana is the ultimate goal of life, which is to develop love of Godhead (premā pum-artho mahān). 

If one adheres to the regulative principles under the order of the spiritual master, he very easily achieves the ultimate goal of his life. A person who is addicted to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.

Goal Setting exercise.

1. Fold a piece of paper in half.
2. On the left hand side of the paper write down your goals, they can be both spiritual and material goals. (e.g. Chant Hare Krishna, read Srila Prabhupadas books, get a promotion at work.)
3. Now on the right hand side of the paper write down in detail everything you did yesterday, from waking up to going to sleep.
4. Now connect with a line each activity you did the day before that corresponds to a goal. The connection must be an activity that was conducive to achieving that particular goal.
5. How many connections did you make? 3 or 4? Great, then you are on your way to achieve your goals. Fewer? Then try and re-evaluate your priorities in order to be more successful and act in accordance to your goals.