This post is a kind response to a very thoughtful comment, by the one and only David Jon… David Jon, take it away (his questions are in italics):
Hi Vince,
Better be careful you are sounding awfully ‘anal’ these days! ; o )
‘Member… not too tight… not too loose.
Genuinely,
David Jon
P.S. Hope you don’t lose sight of the ‘Big Goal’ Vince. Strict adherence to plans/agendas/goals can often have unforeseen consequences. So have fun once in awhile and try to remember life is not a race to some presumed ‘finish line.’
Yeah, I know some of this can ‘sound’ anal. I assure you, I’m not being anal about these things, just attempting to stay focused. You know the difference… 
And yes, the Big Goal, as I mentioned in this post, is to wake up. To awaken to greater Freedom, Fullness, and Truth. This process is alive in me, not to worry, and if for a second I felt that the way I’m approaching these goals were going to compromise what’s really important I would drop all of it without a second thought–and indeed may if that’s how things turn out. There’s little attachment with these goals, mostly a sense of experimentation!
I do appreciate your concern however, and maybe I can attempt to answer some of your specific questions as they’re quite provocative…
P.P.S Would you be happy with B’s in school if your personal relationships were better? How much are straight A’s worth? How much are you willing to pay? What are the ‘hidden costs’ of your goals? Are there any? Or are they ‘pure’ in and of themselves?
Absolutely, and many times in the past I have placed my personal relationships far above my grades in school. In fact I failed out of school a few years back for that very reason. Grades mean very little to me. HOWEVER, at this point I don’t really see it as a choice between either better relationships or better grades. It’s fairly easy to get A’s, and really doesn’t take that much more energy then a B (at least at Naropa!). Actually, I think the difference between an A and a B has often in my experience been simply feeling burnout, and not turning one or two things in, or missing one or two classes. I simply lose track of why making that small extra effort is really worth doing. Which reminds me of lots of other areas of my life, where just a small amount of extra effort would bring such a more fulfilling experience, and yet I stop short. To me, learning how to surrender during that last bit of effort, learning how to sit that last 5 minutes and really open to the truth of my experience, or learning how go ahead and let myself arrive and enjoy the final moments of a project well invested in, is part and parcel of the art of mastery.
As per the rest of your question, straight A’s are worth nothing in and of themselves. From the ultimate perspective none of this has ‘worth’ per say or to me is ‘pure’ in and of itself. The conditions of my life mean nothing in relation to the Unconditioned. Freedom is neither limited nor enhanced by any set of conditions. How could it be?
From the perspective of my life though, learning the art of mastery and surrender has tremendous value, and that is what this is all about. 
Believe me, I take it all too lightly, and when I stay connected (this languaging of course falls short) to the more Unconditioned aspect of reality I smile at my failures and laugh at my successes.
What is an A if not Always Already?
“What is an A if not Always Already?” nicely put. godspeed dawg. just always already keep an extra space for serendipity. you know what i mean
I think you forgot an A: Always Already AWESOME!! w00t!
That’s awesome Vince,
I think you got that I was half-joking (with tongue somewhat in cheek) when I wrote that. That and the fact that your sharing/writing gave me an opportunity to look more closely at what success is to me. For that I thank you. I also thank you for taking the time to clarify what an ‘A’ is!! ; o )
Cheers,
David Jon
Yeah, I got it was part tounge in cheek. I also got to check in with how I am approaching these goals. In fact, last night, I asked Emily whether or not she experienced me as ‘anal’ about my goals. She said yes. I then asked her, whether she meant now, or in the past. She said in the past, she definitely had experienced me as having a lot of personal striving wrapped up in my goals. So I asked, do you see striving surrounding my current goals, and she said, “nope, you’re actually the most laidback I’ve ever seen you concerning those things, which is great for me!” Ha Ha Ha. You know when the wife says it’s true, then it must be!!!
But in any case, I do have a long history of personal striving being intimately connected with goal-setting. It’s really bizarre, but since I came back from the 6-week retreat, that has all but dropped away. Not to say it won’t come back, but hey, its been 3-months and I’m feeling nonchalant about these things as ever. Funny, that.
Anyway, keep the comments coming, even if they are challenging, and especially if they are half-joking!
My last 11 day retreat also helped me to let go of the neurotic aspect of goal-setting that I used to indulge in unconsciously. Goal-setting hasn’t been the same since!