I find my goals fade when they're no longer remaining a step ahead of themselves. A good move in chess isn't just about the movement of one piece, but also considers why you're making such a move. What future moves is it facilitating and are you accounting for your opponent's potential reactions? If you just move turn by turn, you risk crumbling or at least often finding yourself confused about your current position.

It's the same with goals in life. I've stated one of my 2015 targets as 'learn to code'. But above that is the fact that I want to get into audio work for games, and having at least some knowledge in the relevant languages would be a huge benefit. In the distance is potentially creating my own interactive experiences. In that way, a goal becomes multi-faceted and isn't just simply reasoned by 'just because' or 'it seems like a good/the right thing to do'.

I guess another way to put it is to think macro and then divide into micro. I posted this old proved a week or so back:

“A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world.”