| Why Set Goals?
By Karim Hajee
Recently I had dinner with an old friend who had decided to relocate and get a fresh start in life. He explained he was going through some changes and was at that point in life where he was comfortable but not enthusiastic anymore. As we continued talking I asked him what his next goals were in life? And what he wanted to do next? "Why, I haven't got any." He said in a dumbfounded way. "I didn't think I needed to set goals. I thought I could just go on like I always have."
My friend's response seems to be typical of a number of people. I say this because I've often heard similar responses in the years that I've been teaching my Creating Power System. Unfortunately, my friend and those like him are missing the point because we really do need to set goals - otherwise we end up getting frustrated or lose all enthusiasm for life. I'll explain shortly.
Going through life without any goals is like getting into a car and driving without any destination in mind. Would you get into your car and just start driving hoping to get somewhere but really not sure where you are going or how you're going to get there? How often have you got into your car and said: "Let's just drive and see where we end up?" Chances are you're like most people - you get into your car when you need to go somewhere. Most often you know exactly where you're going and have a pretty good idea of how you're going to get there. You know how you're going to get there because you may be familiar with the route, or you got directions from someone.
So why not use the same skills in life?
Life in many ways is like driving - you need to have a destination in mind. You can't get somewhere if you don't know where you're going because you'll only end up getting nowhere and then wonder how you got there in the first place. Think about that for a moment. I've seen and spoken to thousands of people who have lived their life without setting any goals only to realize that where they are is not where they want to be and they have no idea how they got there to begin with. The frustration continues because they fail to decide where they want to go next and then never regain the enthusiasm they had for life when they were a child.
Think about it - when you were a kid you wanted to be a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, a movie star, a rock star, -- you had this childish enthusiasm because you had a goal and you thought anything was possible. Today you may have lost that childish enthusiasm because you no longer think anything is possible. The only reason that happened is because you didn't set goals and achieve them. Maybe you did - and maybe they were too lofty or something stopped you - but as soon as you gave up on them - you lost that enthusiasm. I'm not saying go out and try to be that rock star at 45 - but you can set new goals and this time do what you can to achieve them - because you only get one chance - and this is it.
If you're one of those people who is a little like my friend and you're not that enthusiastic about life - don't feel dismayed - there are a number of things you can do to get going again. First let's talk about setting goals.
Often when I ask people what they're goals are I usually get the following response: "I don't have any goals, I don't know what I want to do." My answer is really simple: "You do know what you want to do - you just haven't thought about it yet." Think about it. How often do you really think about what you want to do or what you want to do next?
So the first step is to start thinking about what you want to do or what you want to do next. Now often the response to that is: "But I don't know what I want to do next." Okay - that's fine. Yes it is fine. If you don't know exactly what you want to do or what you want to do next - then start thinking about the kind of life you want to have. Try to look forward 5 years - where do you see yourself? What's life like for you 5 years from now? What kind of life would you want 5 years from now? Write it down. Next start thinking about what you need to do in order to get to where you want to be in 5 years. You just saw what kind of life you wanted in 5 years - now what can you do to get there? If you're saying: "I don't know what to do to get there." My answer to that is: "You do know how to get there - you just haven't thought of it yet." My point is that once you start thinking about these kinds of things you'll begin to get answers and find solutions. You'll begin to establish a long-term goal - the life you want in 5 years and you'll also set a series of short term goals - the things you need to do to get you there. Once you do that - you then have a destination in mind and an idea of how you're going to get there. The idea is to get your mind working for you rather than against you - something you'll learn to do with the Creating Power System.
The Importance of Setting Goals
The reason it's important to set goals is because without them you feel like you're just spinning your wheels in life. Without goals you no longer feel challenged, you no longer feel like you're striving for something, you no longer feel alive. Without goals life becomes boring and you lose interest - in the end you could end up being bored and depressed. When you have a goal or a series of goals you suddenly feel like you have a sense of purpose - you feel like you're using your full potential and that you're striving for something better.
I'm not saying that everyone has to have lofty goals. All I'm saying is that in order to feel like you're getting the most out of life you need to have some goals and some direction - because without that - life becomes meaningless. With Creating Power you'll begin setting goals and then start taking steps to achieve those goals.
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Achieving goals
Now it's also important to achieve your goals. If you constantly fail when trying to achieve your goals you'll lose your self-esteem, confidence and in the end won't be interested in doing much of anything. So the way to achieve goals is to set smaller realistic goals in the beginning. Start with the little things - things you know you can achieve and then start to set the standards a little higher as you go. If you're unemployed and you want to be a millionaire - your first goal should be to start working and saving some money. Then consider your next goal and so on.
The other important factor needed to achieve goals is a belief that you can and will accomplish your goals. This means you have to change your old way of thinking. This is actually crucial to your success - because if you don't believe you can achieve your goals - it doesn't matter how hard you try - you just won't get there. In order to create this new belief that you can and will achieve your goals - you have to train your mind and send new messages to your subconscious mind.
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-7-16 12:00:55编辑过] | 
