In business school, nearly 10 years ago, I picked up a bit of wisdom that has only recently resurfaced as something fundamental yet widely overlooked in life: If you don't write down your goals, they are merely dreams.
I'm trying to change gears in my life, as I'm not satisfied with my current situation, stemming mainly out of my current career path (well, quagmire, actually). As I've been working along trying to evaluate myself and grow, I've been reading some good books, I've been taking some business courses, and I'm starting to keep an eye out in the wider world of work.
One of the biggest foundational influences on me right now is the idea of goal-setting. Goals are those things that successful people achieve. But not all of us have them. I would be willing to bet that the majority of people who have no goals aren't nearly as successful as they'd like to be. I know I'm not.
I'm currently working through a book entitled
Goals! by Brian Tracy. I highly recommend it to anyone who reads this post and realizes, "Holy shit; I don't have any goals!" If you're thinking this, don't fret. There are people who go through their entire lives without goals. It's never too late to start.
In my recent experience with goal-setting, I've already had eye-opening realizations. With goals, you become motivated, you think more clearly, you have more energy, you are less confused, dissatisfied, and disoriented. With goals, you have direction.
I challenge you to face reality. Share with me here your experiences with and thoughts about goals—about setting them, achieving them, and even your struggles with them.
Probably the most important lesson in life is to understand that you are ultimately responsible for everything that happens in it. It doesn't matter if the cause of events or circumstances are external: you are still responsible for yourself. You cannot expect anyone to take this job; it is yours.
I will take responsibility for myself. Success will not come knocking on my door out of the blue, I must go and knock down its door and walk through it. I must make it happen.
Some of you may already know I am highly critical of the Law of Attraction as espoused in the book
The Secret. I think it's a dangerous idea, and it encourages people to take the path of wishful thinking when instead they should be taking responsibility. No, the Law of Attraction is not a tool for success; the Law of Causality is the tool we must use.
Herein lies the difference:
SMART criteria for achieving goals
Goals must be....
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Attainable
R- Relevant
T- Time-bound
Attainable is the most important difference between causality and attraction.
Attainable implies working to achieve something. Goals require work, and often a lot of it.
If you want success, you must first determine what it is you want that you would call successful. You must then be willing to pay the price of achieving it. It will not come free. It will not be given to you by the universe. You must pay the price or you leave it completely to chance, and leaving it to chance is not a strategy one should take for a life worth living.
Share with me your thoughts, ideas, experiences.