What Do You Want?

Goals are the very basis of any success. ~Earl Nightingale

The single most important advice I can give for living a good life is for you to answer this simple question: What do you want?

If you want to accomplish anything in this world, you have to first make it a goal. My own advice on this is to make a list of the things you would like to do in the course of your life. WRITE THEM ON PAPER.

By writing your goals on a list you are committing them to a tangible form via pen and paper. Ink on the page is the first step in turning a thought into a reality. Once you have enumerated your goals you can start to focus on them one-by-one.

You can start with the big picture. Make a list of life-long goals. Then, make a list of short-term goals, interim goals between where you are right now and where your ultimate goals will take you.

Think of your life-long goals as you final destination. Your short-term, interim goals, are the stepping stones that help you navigate on solid ground as you plod your way to the finish line.

Without goals, we accomplish nothing

Goals enable us to focus. We see results as we complete tasks on the way to our ultimate goal. The interim goals are important in order to see progress. Without those, it is easy to get discouraged. The longer it takes to achieve those interim goals, the easier it is to give up on them, so, make those goals attainable.

Visualization is the Key

Clearly, if you can imagine yourself enjoying the fruits of your labor, if you can see yourself succeeding in accomplishing your goals, then, you are already on the road to success.

If you are unsure about how to envision your future, my book Get Happy, Write Away will walk you through the process. My follow-up book, Ninja Mind Tricks, will help you create a positive plan of action in order to turn those dreams into realities.

At this point you should think about what you want to accomplish.
Commit those goals to paper with pen and ink.
Create a list of interim goals on the path to your final destination.
Create your plan of action.

The first step is always the hardest

You might have to do some research on what is required in order to achieve certain goals. Your plan of action will depend on what it is that you really want.

Remember this: You are the captain of your own destiny. It is all up to you. Where you go in life and how you get there is a matter of whether you create goals, focus on them, and work to complete them. The Universe will not simply drop them into your lap. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

Your path lies before you.