[Mark Lapierre]

I think you're talking about the same thing, David and valis. Well, you seem to be if the perspective is the larger one, the one that deals with values and principles, e.g., raising your kids right, experiencing what the world has to offer, becoming the best person you can be, taking that surprise job which is better than your current one.

These are goals. If you make the decision to improve yourself, right there you've set a goal.

I suspect the difference of opinion is in how those goals are achieved. An engineer would be happier with discrete and concrete steps, whereas a generalist would be happier looking at the goal as a direction to head towards, rather than a specific path to take.

I'm pretty sure both set goals, because you'd both know what you're ultimately trying to do, and you'd both know when you've accomplished something you set out to do, even if for one it was "whatever makes me happy"