Lent Goals

Are goals fitting to the spirit of Lent? I think I see a contrast between the New Year’s Resolution mindset and that of the traditional Lent attitude. It seems that many of us put specific goals for a our New Year’s Resolutions, yet paradoxically without a specific plan to accomplish it . I know I have done this. I have focused on an external measurement of some sort that was often unrealistic, and without a specific plan to achieve it, gradually I “fell off the wagon”. In looking at the three categories traditional to Lent, I see that the focus is more on the process, not the product. There is no goal at the end of the 40 day road like a pot of gold. The fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are not expected to gain you anything. They are undertaken simply for their own sake. It seems to me the only goal is to become more disciplined, more in control of your body and mind. This looks like yoga. I suppose since the eventual goal is spiritual it is therefore not very measurable. I mean, how do you quantify enlightenment? Enlightenment units? My thought is that the disciplines and the emphasis on everyday behavior and habits will accomplish some positive and measurable results anyway. At least I hope so!
So does it contradict the spirit of Lent to focus on a specific quantifiable goal? Is it wrong to say, as we do on New Year’s, “I’m going to lost x pounds by y date? Somehow I think so. I think that Lent is about creating the inner environment where such a tangible result comes as a byproduct. Rather than ”backwards plan“, we instead foster and develop new thinking that will go where it goes. If the intention is sound and the practice steady, it seems to me that the goals will be met anyway, even without focusing on them. What do you think?