(This post was written a year and a half ago.)
Instead of setting my goals first and directing my life towards them, I have found it more helpful to learn my values first, and to live my life as an outgrowth of them.
This constrains my behavior significantly. Sometimes I don't have much space left for other decision making. Sometimes my values entail setting goals. There is a lot that I must do in order to sleep at night.
It is easy to get lured into wanting a complete plan, understanding everything first before executing, hence a goal-achieving life. In my upbringing, I was programmed heavily into forcing things into this optic. It was the only one I knew. Part of it was coming up in a tremendously privileged subclass, and was a tool my class used to maintain its privilege. By "my class" here, I mean maleness, whiteness, the aristocracy, etc. Perhaps with better intentions, another part of it was growing up an overachiever, having been recognized for certain analytical talents, and having my talents fed by my mentors. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste", the sentiment goes. I internalized an obligation to make something of myself.
Otherwise put, I'm learning, with difficulty, to believe in self-worth that is not mediated by my metrizable achievements. A key step so far is reconnecting to my momentary and visceral experience, in doing so dropping out of my head, and arranging for meaning and spiritual sustenance in that experience.