Life plans and life goals in philosophical practice

Amid the ongoing and growing rise in the awareness of traditional schools of psychotherapy of the need for a more philosophical understanding of themselves and their clients, and the resulting return of the fragmented modern psychotherapy under the integrative aegis of philosophical practice (philotherapy), some of the ancient, practical philosophical issues have resurfaced with force in therapeutic practice. One is the issue of drawing an appropriate distinction between the concepts of life plan and life goals. The ancient philosophical figures tended to call the former ?reason?, or ?wisdom?. The modern age has reactualized this distinction due to exceptionally forceful social and technological influences, many of which have caused large numbers of individuals to adopt life goals which, while socially highly desirable, in fact work against the implementation of their more authentic life plans. The outcome of this uncritical adoption of what seems as a thrilling and satisfying structure of life goals, while at the same time betraying one?s deeper life plan, or life strategy, is failure to achieve a high quality of life, or ?the good life?.