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I want you to think about all of the different thoughts, questions, conversations, social interactions you have throughout the day. Now I want you to think about how many you have in a month or even a year. With all of your normal obligations and activities, do you have time to stop and think about the future with any regularity? I’m guessing the answer is probably no.
Time is Precious and Fleeting
Time is one resource each of us has that we can’t get back, so we need to make the most of the time we have. To do this, you need to be intentional in how you spend it.
If you don’t have goals, you’re akin to being adrift at sea with no destination or heading. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend your entire life lost at sea or washed ashore and stranded on an island only to realize too late in life that the island wasn’t you’re intended destination.
In the metaphor above I use the sea because, like life, it is massive and daunting in scale. When you try to think about your final destination and the work it will take to get their it can be overwhelming.
Island Hopping (short-term goals)
Goals are like the island chain on your way to the final destination. Each island along the way is an achievement and milestone that validates your hard work and provides motivation for the next leg of the journey.
In this metaphor, each island is a short-term goal on the way to your long-term goals in life. Setting goals allows us to create a thoughtful plan for the future. One that gives us a destination and heading (long-term goals) and smaller milestones along the way to make the journey less daunting (short-term goals).
Goal Setting is Important to Achieving Your Dreams
Goal setting is important because it forces us to assess our past and present in order to make a plan for the future. Goals are like the compass of life; as long as we consult our goals regularly, we can make course corrections to ensure we continue moving towards our ultimate goals.
Goals focus our minds and allow us to intentionally work towards something. By setting goals, you know why you’re doing something and how to get there.
What are you waiting for? Starting setting goals today and be intentional with your life!
To learn more about setting smart goals, click here.
How has setting goals affected your life? Do you have any advice for those just getting started?