Setting
goals is necessary if we want to achieve anything in life, and can be found at
the heart of any book on success principles. Success is most easily defined as
the achievement of a specific goal. Success is personal because goals are
personal. While one person's definition of success may be financial
independence, for someone else it might be building a school, planting a
forest, or designing a flying car.
Goals move
us forward and provide us with direction. They give us something to aim for, to
look forward to, and to get us excited about each day. They are the primary
mechanism by which we create our future.
It doesn't
matter if you don't hit all of your goals precisely. If you miss your goal of
becoming a billionaire, at least you'll still be a millionaire. Even if you
never get your body fat below 15%, you'll still be a lot fitter than if you sat
on the couch all those years. Having any goals at all will pull you in a
positive direction and improve your life.
Conversely,
not setting goals will make you a drifter, and your reality will be determined
more by what others want you to do or expect from you. As Jim Rohn teaches, if
you don't want to be part of someone else's plans then you've got to make plans
of your own.