I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.
Jane Wagner
Here’s a fun exercise. The next time you hear someone complaining about their lousy job, ask them what job they want. More than likely you won’t get an answer. If someone’s complaining about their weight, ask them how much they want to weigh. I bet they don’t have a number. It works for income, net worth, just about anything. Often, when someone’s dissatisfied with some area of their life, they’ve never bothered to articulate exactly what they want. They’re just going along, going through the motions, accepting life’s defaults. Then, they’re surprised when their results are less than they’d like.
Leaves vs Fish
In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.
Robert Heinlein
Without goals, we’re floating down a river in a boat with no paddle. We’re at the mercy of the current. We end up wherever it takes us.
When we set goals, we pick up a paddle. We don’t have to ride the current anymore. We can decide what we want and where we want to go. We can begin making decisions and taking action to get what we want on purpose, instead of settling for what we get by default.
The First Step
The first step toward reaching goals is often neglected, but it’s indispensable. Without it, we’ll just keep on floating along, meandering wherever the current takes us.
The first step to reaching your goals is setting your goals.