This is not an article on sports but I shall be taking a cue from the entertaining world of sports- without which it would be some what inconceivable to treat the topic at hand.
The goalpost has varying representations depending on the sport that is being played: in Basketball, it is a raised net; in Golf, it is a hole and in Football, it is in the form of a net fixed aground. Whatever the shape or concept behind its make-up, it is made to fulfill a purpose- that is to register goal which is what counts. Without the goalpost, players will compete aimlessly.
The goalpost gives a sense of direction and this is the reason why players channel their energy towards getting a result (positive) registered in the goalpost. As they do this, they are not oblivious of the fact that they need to guard their goalpost. So, as the goalpost guides [towards a worthy pursuit], the players have got to GUARD their goalpost.
Let me drive this home [to us, mankind]: As human, we have got goals that we set out to actualize but to what end...? Your goalpost in the game of life is your MOTIVE- Why do you do what you do? Why are you pursuing that goal of yours? - To impact lives? OR just to fulfill a selfish cause?- Answering these questions [with utmost sincerity] makes one's vision clearer and more relevant in the sphere of life and enables him to channel his energy towards one direction- accomplishing that goal. Every little detail of his life will give insight into the bigger picture; the more you focus on your goalpost, the closer you get to victory.
Knowing the motive enables you to get more attracted or pulled to your goal and this gives you the edge when defending your values- if you know your motive, you will confidently stand for what you believe.
The Relevance of the Goalpost
The relevance of the goalpost has been briefly looked into in the preceding paragraphs but I will like to draw your attention to some salient points:
The goalpost helps you to measure and/or envisage the consequences of your day-to-day actions. In this wise, having your motive stated out helps you to live without regrets on the long run. Majority of those who end up in regrets have often [probably ignorantly] one thing to chance- and that is that they never clarified the motive behind their actions...for them, everything goes. However, fulfillment is assured for the man who pays rapt attention to his motive before embarking on the journey of dream actualization.
The goalpost helps you to be effective and not just busy. In the words of Ether Butter worth: "We must learn to grow through life and not just go through life." Many a times, we expend energy in activities that only dissipate us but also derail us from the path to fulfillment and thus we end up going through life. To curtail this, we need to be mindful of how we use our resources [especially energy and time] as one aims to GROW through life: this can only be possible when we have our goalpost in clear view.
A life of 'busyness' drains an individual and leaves him with little or nothing in return but on the contrary; a life that prioritize effective over 'busyness' becomes more productive and resourceful and at the end, gets more out of life.
In conclusion, there are many things we aim to achieve in life and the urge for success could be so great that we fail to examine or give credence to our goalpost...one must be careful of this lure. Do not just think of your goal, set out quality time [in solitude] to know the motive fueling that goal.
Dream big...Envision greatness and mind your goalpost!