A simple story: In his book, the power of positive thinking, the bestselling author and pastor, Norman Vincent Peale narrated an interesting story of a young man of 26 years old that consulted him. The young man was not satisfied any longer with his job and wanted to do something else that could get him to the exact place he wanted in life. As they
discussed, Norman asked him, ‘well, where do you want to go?’
discussed, Norman asked him, ‘well, where do you want to go?’
“I don’t know exactly. I have never given it a thought”, the young man replied. “I only know I want to go somewhere other than where I am”.
“What can you do best?” Norman asked again. “What are your strong points?”
“I don’t know”, he replied. “I never thought that one over either.”
“But what would you like to do if you had your choice?” He insisted that the young man provide the answer. “What do you really want to do?”
“I just can’t say. I don’t really know what I want to do. I never thought it over. Guess I ought to figure that one out too.” The young man said.
Finally, Norman Peale gave him a very important advice that is not worth throwing over the bin. A very powerful and potent statement that I believe was the first ever solution to the young man’s problem and one which will serve many who read this piece but are trapped in the web of trying to do something ‘great’ without definiteness of purpose.
“Now, look here,” Norman Peale finally said. “You want to go somewhere from where you are, but you don’t know where you want to go. You don’t know what you can do or what you would love to do. You will have to get your ideas organised before you can expect to start getting anywhere.”
Powerful but simple. Get your goals right. Know where you want to go, then how you will get there will be factored out.
Goal setting is something that we hear about throughout our lives, but only a few people in reality deliberately set out objectives to achieve in life. Many people simply allow time pass by from day to day: anything that comes, then so be it. But it is necessary to set life goals- small, medium and long-term goals- and commit them to writing.
Setting a life goal is one of the most life changing activities you can ever do. While it may not come to pass exactly as you’d wished, with necessary alterations effected here and there on your way to achieving them, it gives your life organisation and focus- powerful tools essential for success. Your goals should be in line with your life purpose. It should reflect on your areas of strength and aim to maximise your positive potentials, skills and talents and add value to you and your society. It therefore means that setting of goals is preceded by identifying of purpose.
You may know what you want in life and think you do not need to put them down in paper. In general, below are the reasons why you need to set goals in life if you want to succeed.
Setting Goals is the First Step in Turning the Invisible into the Visible-Tony Robins
We all imagine- and we do well to imagine great things for ourselves. But then, nothing good comes around simply because it’s just imagined. Imagination despite being a great and powerful tool towards achieving success is dead if there is no corresponding action to back it up. To imagine, with the mind, is only as good and powerful as the dream of the night. No dream is achieved while sleeping. And just as waking up is the first action towards achieving your dream, setting of goals is the first work towards success. It really precedes other success steps.
Setting Goals Gives You Focus
All the dribbles, passes, shooting, formation and tactics in a football match is to achieve something: put the ball behind the net. That purpose gives you focus and drives you forward. It makes you defend better because you quite know what your opponent aims to achieve. In the same way, your life goals represent the sum of your inner desires and aspirations: that which keeps you motivated. Imagine a football match without a goal post. That will be chaotic and with no focus. The same with a life without well written goals. If you do not know where you are going, then any road can get you there, says a proverb.
Goal Setting Makes You Accountable
Having goals makes you accountable- first to yourself. Rather than just talking about what you want all the time and not do anything concrete about them, you are now obligated to take action. Setting specific goal gives you clarity on whether you are living against what you committed yourself to do when you first set your goal.
Setting Goals Brings Out The Best In You
Goals help you achieve your highest potential. Without goals you subject yourself to the natural default set of actions that keep you feel safe and comfortable every day. You have little or no motivation. And you know, this familiarity is the nemesis to growth. It prevents you from exploring the deepest you and thus does not enable you to become the best person you can be. It denies you from tapping into all that potential inside you. After all, why would you work out every day if you had no goal in mind?
Setting Your Goals Makes You Work Smarter
The best footballers are those who know how best to the the ball into the oppositions' net. Knowing the goal makes you work smarter, just like a footballer. It helps you know when to dribble, pass or shoot. How? Because you aim to put the ball in, somewhere. In other words it enhances you problem solving ability.
Setting Your Goals Makes You Work Smarter
The best footballers are those who know how best to the the ball into the oppositions' net. Knowing the goal makes you work smarter, just like a footballer. It helps you know when to dribble, pass or shoot. How? Because you aim to put the ball in, somewhere. In other words it enhances you problem solving ability.
The research: a study was carried out by the Harvard MBA on graduate students. The aim is to determine if they have set clear, written goals and the roadmap to realise their dreams in the future. The result shows that while 3% have written down their goals and how to achieve them, 13% only have them in their heads while the remaining 84% have no clear aim in life.
Ten years later they were interviewed again and the result was staggering. The 13% of the class who had goals but didn’t write it down on paper earn twice as much as the 84% who had no specific goals. The 3% that had their goals written down with steps on how to realise them earn ten times as much as the rest of the other 97% combined together.
The truth is that failure is easier when you don’t know where you are going to.
Summary
Ask yourself this: what are my goals for the upcoming 1 year, 3 years, 5 to 10 years? If you are to take some time to set your goal now, be rest assured to experience massive growth as a person, if you follow what you wrote. By just taking some few minutes to articulate your aspirations you will experience more progress in your life a year from now than compared to if you never did.
Your goal may be as simple as waking up earlier,or as lofty as making a million dollar the next year. They are both worth writing down. It may just be the difference between success and failure.
The best way to do something is to do it. Start now to set goals. After all the secret to getting ahead is getting started- Mark Twain.
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Wonderful,it is good to note. This have given me a thought, so grateful for this. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. I'm grateful it could help @Philip
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