HYDERABAD: Many speakers and authors encourage you to set goals but most have never explained why this is such a powerful discipline beyond saying something like “Something magical happens when you write down your goals on paper.”
In my opinion, setting clearly defined goals for all the areas of your life works for three reasons. First, it restores a sense of focus in your world, a world that has become complicated by too many options. In this age we live in, there are simply far too many things to do at any given time. There are too many distractions that compete for our attention. Goals clarify our desires and, in doing so, help us focus on only those activities that will lead us to what we want. Setting clearly defined goals provides you with a frame-work for smarter choices. If you know precisely where you are going, it becomes far easier to select those activities that will get you there. Writing down your goals clarifies your intentions (and the first step to realising your vision is defining it).
As novelist Saul Bellow once observed, “A clear plan relieves you of the torment of choice.” Or as author Glenn Bland wrote, “Goals and plans take the worry out of living.” If you set goals, the actions you take will be based on your life’s mission rather than on your day-to-day moods.
Goal-setting keeps you alert to opportunities. The discipline almost magnetises your mind to seek out new opportunities, opportunities that you need to seize in order to create the personal, professional and spiritual life you desire. Clearly defined goals commit you to a course of action. They give you the inspiration to act on your priorities and make things happen in your life rather than waiting for opportunities to land in your lap (which rarely happens). Selecting goals that engage and motivate you is one of the best ways to boost the level of your personal commitment to life and increase the energy you bring to your days.
So set big goals. You are only as rich, whether materially or spiritually, as your dreams. Or as advertising genius David Ogilvy put it, “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals.”
Excerpt from Who will cry when you die by Robin Sharma - www.robinsharma.com