[skyjoe76]

What will you do if you want to buy a gift for your love one? Yes, you decide if you want to head down to the gift store or visit ebay. Either way, you got to set your destination, the gift store or the computer.

Let's move this concept into life. You got to decide what you want in life. You got to set your destination, you got to set your goals.

Only you have the power to control you destiny. The key is having goals and setting them well enough and tracking them diligently enough to see them come to fruition.

The sad thing is most people live their life blindly, without a destination, without a goal. It is like a ship in the ocean without a direction. It will goes where the current brings them. Think about your life for a second, are you like the lost ship, you'll take whatever life present to you?

Be in control of who you want to be, what you want to achieve. Steer your ship in the direction you want it to go. This does not mean you will definitely reach there, but you won't be far away. If you are moving in the right direction you will do well in life.

In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl, successor of Freud, argues that the "loss of hope and courage can gave a deadly effect on man." As a result of his experiences ina Nazi concentration camp, Frankl contend that when a man no longer possesses a motive for living, no future to look toward, he curls up in a corner and dies.

"Any attempt to restore a man's inner strength in camp, had first to succeed in showing him some future goal." He wrote.

Carry a goal card with you all the time. In this goal card, write down your goals. Every morning when you are off to work, read your goals once, put it in your pocket. Every night, when you empty your pocket, read it again.

Whenever you put your hands into the pocket, you touch your goal card. You picture your goals again.

I have the phobia of public speaking all my life until I started my own training company. I have to get out of the comfort zone. The first few trainings ware a disaster.

However I did set a goal for myself. That is to speak to three hundred people in a hall. I achieved that a year later, and it was so powerful that they engaged me again in the same year.

I re-set that goal again. To speak to 1000 people. I spoke to 900 people six months later. I did not achieve the 1000, but very close, isn't it?

Set your goals, put a direction for your life. You will never regret doing that.

[p3t0r]

nice piece!

I think it helps if you can have a primary goal, then set milestones for a sense of achievement once you have reached them! Especially for goals that may take time.

still on the topic, I just came across this test on your locus of control.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_90.htm

I believe entrepreneurs have an internal locus of control, whereby supporting this thread - SET SOME GOALS FOR YOURSELF!

[rejoice]

Would you say it's more important to set personal or business goals?

I'd have to say personal as that is what drives me.

[Young Spark]

Great Read... really powerful if you ask me. My view on life is (as you stated) based off goals. When you have goals, there should always be a reason why you set a goal (and this should be added in with what p3t0r said.) This can be either to live a happier life, keep the burden of debt off your shoulders, enjoy the company of money.

Point is this: Whenever you set a goal, have a reason in mind for why your setting a goal. Mines right now has a personal reason... that reason being to be successful for my fiance. She tell's me each and every day these words: "Baby, I love you, always have and always will, and I'm behind you no matter what." So what is this doing: Its giving me support and confidence, which leads to me wanting to being successful. So if my fiance supports me with her words, then my reason for having goals is to envision meeting them goals and making her happy at the end.

So ask yourself... do you have a solid reason to go for your goals?

[jasaunders]

There has been a lot of research into goal-setting theory (I have talked about this in other threads at some point). The primary ways to make goals successful are:
1) Set realistic, yet challenging goals
2) Set specific goals (Saying "I want to work harder" or "I want to jump higher" is not a specific goal. Instead say "I want to achieve $400,000 in sales this year" or "I want to jump 45 inches high")
3) Goals must have buy-in from the person whose goal it is. (Interestingly, it doesn't matter who sets a goal; whether a manager or friend sets it for you or you set your own goal)

In response to your quote by Victor Frankl, what he describes is not really goal setting, but a psychological principal known as learned helplesssness. In essence, it is an effect of consistent negative reinforcement to an impossible task, that when the barrier is removed, the person continues to feel a sense of hopelessness, depression, and powerlessness.

[Young Spark]

So.... Josh.... how about my hypothesis of "there must be a reason for goal setting?"

[jasaunders]

The three points I listed are the only three specific items that fall within goal-setting theory based on decades of research by psychologists. Not to say there aren't more factors that influence the success of goals, but these three things have been proven to have a stong affect on whether or not goals are achieved.

Your point about having a reason for setting a goal, is inherent to goal-setting itself. I can't think of a situation where you have a goal you want to achieve and not have a reason for it. Maybe your point is to think about and evaluate the reason... but anytime there is a goal, there is a reason.

[roadtoharvard]

Goal setting really depends on the person. Some people respond to large almost unattainable goals, some respond to a "step" system with increasing levels of difficulty while others fall somewhere in between (I know quite groundbreaking stuff!/endsarcasm)

Anyway, I was taught about the SMART system (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) of setting goals in three different courses (weight training, management, and psychology). I use a simplistic variation of the smart system (Goal, Timeframe, Measurement) and then action with course corrections in between.

More Info on SMART goal setting here:
http://www.topachievement.com/smart.html

I really don't think that goal setting is most people's problem anyway. Goals are easy to create but the problem is such that most people just fail on the follow through. Of course it is blamed on a bad goal but usually it just comes down to the person not putting the time required.

[Chilibean]

You have to have a goal in whatever you do. It's like going out for a drive and having no idea where you're going, how're you ever going to get there?!

[Ian]

I often moan about the state of people in my town, they all seem to trundle around in their sad little lives, no ambition, no drive, no FIRE, and it sickens me, it really does..I honestly thought people were capable of more, but no these people are content to be binmen or live off benefits.

(I am currently on unemployment benefit ;p)

*rant over*

[virginfootsteps]

First of all this was a very good read . Every man needs direction in life and goals to progress in the rite direction.
Second,i agree with young spark whole heartedly, as my goals are all set with a business intent and have a personal goal intergrated into this.
I find my problem in life is that i set my goals and find it hard to get my foot in the door. That first state of progression i find so demoralising as its not that my heart is not in it or the money, i just feel like i have been dropped in the center of the jungle , i no where i want to be , the oasis,(my dream) but i have no map no compass so how do i get there, without going round in circles missing my destination?