Shift your goals from the external to the internal: repeat to yourself that your objective is not to hit the target, but to deliver the best shot of which you are capable

Modern Stoic philosopher Massimo Pigliucci — author of How to Be a Stoic and The Stoic Guide to a Happy Life — reframes ambition through the lens of Stoic control. His advice, “Shift your goals from the external to the internal: repeat to yourself that your objective is not to hit the target, but to deliver the best shot of which you are capable,” echoes Epictetus’s timeless teaching: focus on what is within your power, and let go of what is not.

We often measure success by outcomes — winning, recognition, results — all of which depend partly on chance or the actions of others. Pigliucci reminds us that freedom and peace come from pursuing excellence of effort, not certainty of reward. When your goal becomes to act with skill, integrity, and intention, you reclaim control over your satisfaction. Whether you “hit the target” or not becomes secondary; what matters is that you showed up with your best.

This mindset transforms performance anxiety into purpose. It replaces fear of failure with pride in discipline. It’s how ancient philosophy becomes a modern form of psychological resilience.