Episode 74 – On Setting and Pursuing Goals

This episode addresses the anxiety that accompanies modern ambition, arguing that the Stoics developed a powerful framework for pursuing goals without becoming emotionally enslaved to the outcomes. The standard approach to ambition ties happiness directly to achieving an external prize—the promotion, the victory, the recognition—which makes our well-being incredibly vulnerable to factors outside our control. The Stoic solution is to radically internalize the definition of success, shifting the focus from the external result to the internal quality of the effort itself.

This redefinition is made possible by the Stoic doctrine of "preferred indifferents," which acknowledges that things like health, career success, and wealth are rationally preferable and worth pursuing. However, they are not intrinsically good, and achieving them is not the ultimate measure of a successful life. The only true good is virtue—excellence of character as expressed through our choices and actions—and this is the one thing that is always completely within our control. This principle allows the Stoic to pursue ambitious goals vigorously while remaining psychologically detached from the final outcome.

The episode uses the "Stoic Archer" analogy to perfectly illustrate this concept: the archer does everything in their power to shoot well—selecting the right arrow, aiming carefully, releasing smoothly—but once the arrow leaves the bow, the final result is subject to external factors like the wind. The archer's success lies in the excellence of their attempt, not in hitting the bullseye. Similarly, our success in any endeavor is measured by the virtue of our effort—our diligence, justice, and courage—making us resilient to both failure and the arrogance that can come with external success.