Path of Manliness

This course is still in draft form. If there are any problems, please let us know on info@pathofmanliness.com. Thanks for your patience!

On Core, we work with a quarterly goal system.

We divide the year into four quarters, and in each quarter we deliberately move our life in a specific direction. Rather than chasing many things at once, we take responsibility for one clear aim.

This means that four times a year, you will set one goal—something concrete that you will strive to bring about through your daily effort.

The purpose of this course is simple: to help you set that one goal for the current quarter. This goal will become the focus of your work in Core.

---

Before we begin, however, a word of caution.

Making plans about the future is a dangerous business.

We do not see things clearly. What we think we want is often not what we truly need. And sometimes, the very things we strive for are the source of our suffering.

A goal can easily become an expression of impatience, pride, or disordered desire. It can pull us away from reality rather than anchor us in it.

So we must approach goal setting with caution and sobriety.

Our aim is not simply to achieve more, to get more, to have more. It is to align our will with God’s will.

Knowing how to do that in the present moment is relatively simple: we pray, we avoid sin, and we do what is given to us to the best of our ability.

But when we try to extend this into the future—into plans and goals—it becomes much more difficult. It can feel like moving forward blindfolded, unsure whether we are walking toward something good or away from it.

This is why we do not set goals in isolation, or according to impulse. We place them within a structure that helps orient us properly.

---

In the first lesson, we will ground your goal setting in the rhythm of the Church calendar.

Secondly we will consider the level of ambition (and remind you to keep it simple and humble).

The third lesson is about linking goals to habits in order to come up with a first draft of your goal for the quarter.

Finally the last lesson will be about using the SMART criteria to tweak your goal.