Whenever I ask myself what the point of having a goal in life is, I always think of games. What’s the point of any game? Most of us understand it perfectly well: to enjoy ourselves.
But games never actually frame it that way. Every game has its own objective, yet I’ve never seen a game interface that mentions enjoyment.
I think this translates really well to life itself. Of course, we all understand that the ultimate goal is to enjoy this game called life. But the paradox is that we can’t enjoy life if our only goal is to enjoy it. (Imagine a game where the main objective is simply to have fun.)
So a goal in life acts as a kind of link between our lives and their deeper purpose: enjoyment, or in other words, happiness.