I Gave Up, Sometimes That's Okay

Almost two years ago, I was one movie away from watching every movie on the IMDB Top 250 list. It was a goal I set over a decade ago. My sole focus wasn't completing the list, and the road to almost completion happened gradually. I never met that goal.

It's good to have goals and it's important to write them down, but know when to abandon them.  I gave up on the list when I was only one movie away. The problem with the list, is that it updates weekly to account for new movies. Now I hover around 245 out of 250.

Why did I give up? I had reached my goal. I had decided to watch these movies to see what people considered good movies, and I had done that. I'm chasing a goal that is forever running away. Even if I could check 250 of 250, the next week I'd be at 249 of 250.

Trying for an impossible goal can propel you to heights never expected, but eventually realize it's time for a new goal.

Is the goal still relevant? Does it still hold the same meaning as when you set it? Is the goal attainable? Trying for an impossible goal can propel you to heights never expected, but eventually realize it's time for a new goal.
Is it necessary? Is getting close to the goal sufficient?

Is my 250 goal still relevant?
No. I've watched many films, and gotten an education on what is 'good'. Watching the latest Marvel movie just because it's on the list won't teach me anything. Watching the Bollywood film on the list will just annoy me.

Is the goal attainable?
Reaching the 250 goal is fleeting. I'd have it for a week and then it's gone. The goal isn't to have a particular movie list complete. The goal is inspiration from movies. Maintaining the list would become a chore.

Is it necessary?
No.
The larger goal was watching a lot of movies considered to be of top caliber. I've met the larger goal. Continuing the same goal is silly when I've accomplished my intention.

This is definitely a silly and inconsequential goal, but each of us has goals. Every single goal should be analyzed and questioned.

Goals are for improvement, not nostalgia. 

Don't hold to a goal just because you've always had it. Remove it or modify it to make it relevant.

Here is the post I started typing, but never finished, on October 23, 2013 when I thought I would soon complete this goal:

Close to a decade ago I realized how much I enjoyed movies.  Trying to catch up with all the movies I had missed over the years, the IMDB Top 250 list kept coming up in my searches to find the best films the industry has to offer.

I thought it would be quite an achievement to see all the movies on the list. Mind you, I later learned the list changes weekly, so it's not the easiest of tasks to hit a moving target, especially when a movie yet to be released in the states hits the list. I've been sitting at 249 of 250 movies for months, waiting for a Danish film.

I watch movies  I want to see. Completing the list has not been my sole goal over the past decade. Netflix has definitely made completing the list much easier, though there are a few movies that Netflix doesn't have and likely won't get. For one movie on the list I had to order from Korea via ebay. And with Netflix, my total movies watched has climbed to nearly two-thousand.