Be carefull Boardofwar. Many here struggle to stay in love with the game as soon as they realise they won't make it to their dreamgoal and give up after years of frustration. Wether they get stuck at 2150 when their goal is 2200 or they get stuck at 1550 when their goal was 1600, they leave frustrated.
What i want to say is, don't get blinded by the numbers.
Why do I like chess? Keeps me away from drugs.
Wonderful point Colnago. It is certainly good to have long term and short term goals. I certainly have them in my professional life, my volunteer life,and my hobby life. Goals help give life direction whether the goals are divinely ordained or just manifestations of secular desires. One of my guitar teachers-a young man with an old soul-brought me to a great revelation. He cautioned me not to be too result oriented. To be too focused in that regard, he cautioned, would be to be in a state of perpetual disappointment and also to risk missing the many pleasures of the journey along the way.
lol