The nonsense about always chanting with a goal in mind is pure SGI hogwash.

"Always chant with a goal in mind" -- SGI top senior leader

There are two types of chanting meditation, the Daimoku of contemplation where you let your thoughts arise and fall away and the Daimoku of prayer. As far as the Daimoku of prayer, it is possible to remain focused when praying for something of deep significance [to you], for example, the death of a family member or best friend, food when there is no bread on the table, or shelter when you have no place to stay. It is next to impossible to remain focused on something of lesser significance for more than twenty minutes or so. 10 minutes of focused concentration is not so unusual for a less than life and death struggle. We can make such things as Buddhahood a life and death struggle but it is not at all wrong to chant as a meditation, without any attachment whatsoever to our thoughts. This nonsense about always chanting with a goal in mind is pure SGI hogwash. Nichiren often said just to chant.