Every bit of human progress – our inventions big and little, our medical discoveries, our engineering triumphs, our business successes – were first visualized before they became realities.
A goal is an objective, a purpose. A goal is more than a dream; It’s a dream being acted upon. A goal is more than a lazy “Oh, I wish I could.” The goal is a clear “this is what I’m working toward.”
Nothing happens, no forward steps are taken, until a goal is established. Without goals, individuals just wander through life. They stumble along, never knowing where we are going, so they never get anywhere.
Goals are essential to success as air is to life. No one ever stumbles into success without a goal. No one ever lives without air. Get a clear fix on where you want to go. Dave Mahoney rose from a low-paying job in the mailroom of an advertising agency to an agency vice president at 27 and president of the Good Humor Company at 33. This is what he says about goals: “the important thing is not where you were or where you are but where you want to get.”
The progressive corporation plans company goals 10 to 15 years ahead. Executives who manage leading businesses must ask, “where do we want our company to be 10 years from now?” Then they got their efforts accordingly. New plant capacity is built not for today’s needs but rather for needs 5 to 10 years in the future. Research is undertaken to develop products that won’t appear for a decade or longer.
The modern corporation does not leave its future to chance. Should you?
Each of us can learn a precious lesson from the forward-looking business. We can and should plan at least 10 years ahead. You must form an image now of the person you want to be in 10 years from now on if you are to become that image. This is a critical thought. Just as the business that neglect to plan ahead will be just another business (if it even survives), the individual who fails to set long-range goals will most certainly be just another person lost in a life’s shuffle. Without goals we cannot grow.
From the book: “The Magic Of Thinking Big” by David J Schwartz.
