Setting goals can be good motivation in the right context, but they can also backfire. Unless you're a professional racer getting paid to ride your bike, I think it's important that any cycling goals you set have an underlying element of fun. It can very easily go from something you enjoy to something you have to do even though you'd rather be doing something else.
Yup.

For velogirl: I've set goals for my career, for saving money to buy a home, etc. It's been helpful to me, but cycling needs to be stress-free for my own mental equilibrium..so yea, cycling is for me, time to chill out. The very fact that I'm car-free, cycling sometimes does have daily goals...for transportation and to get something else done (work, shopping) and piling in my mini-fitness ride at the same time. But I don't think of "goal' every time I mount on my bike. I do often think of "destination"....instead of mileage.

I just have survive and live daily....by getting food to feed myself. And I do it by bike. Hope this makes sense to those who bike for transportation a lot.

My partner is also a long term cyclist and car-free like myself. He tracks his mileage faithfully since 1992. Sometimes he tells me his mileage when I ask. Most of the time, he seldom offers it because it's just for him. (Frankly I'm amazed he is so modest when he's with other cyclists and says nothing, but praises others. This year he's done 11,000 km. so far. You have to understand he's done over 250,000 kms since I've known him! He's my dearest used car. But again he only offers it ...when I ask him. )

He's super supportive of my cycling and has never put me down on my annual mileage. Of course, he's retired, I'm not. I'm not sure what it would be like to live with someone who constantly obsessed over their mileage.. I probably make encouraging noises and tune out after while. After all, one loves a person for who they are, not their mileage.