I have a goal of walking 10,000 steps each day. The other day I had to work extra hard in order to accomplish the goal. My day started off rough and I got behind right from the start. As the day progressed, I had some interruptions that kept me from working towards the goal which got me even further behind. By the end of the day I reached my goal, but it took more effort than usual.
As I was thinking about this (while I was walking, of course), I realized it is the same way with the important things you want to accomplish in life. If you have clearly defined goals, you may start off poorly, get interrupted along the way, or distracted by a zillion other things, but in the end, you still know exactly what you are working towards. By knowing what you are working towards, it helps you actually get there.
Think about grocery shopping for a minute. Have you ever gone to the grocery store without a list and got so distracted that you ended up forgetting to buy the item you originally intended to get? I know I sure have. Now think about the times you have gone grocery shopping with a list. Did you forget to purchase the items you came to buy that time? My guess is that, even if you bought a dozen items not on your list, you still came away with everything that was on your list.
This is the reason that you need to take time to define the goals you have for life. If you don’t take time to define and write down your goals, it is easy to get distracted and let other things and people take you in a direction you may not want to go. However, if you have your goals written down, you can work through the distractions and still reach your destination.
It wasn’t until this past year that I clearly defined the goals for my life. Through all the challenges and distractions I have encountered over the last nine months, I have continued to work towards my goals and have already reached most of them. I keep thinking what took me so long to actually do this?
The challenge most people face is that they feel overwhelmed when they sit down in an attempt to write out their goals. I know that was one of my major road blocks. There were multiple times I tried to write down my goals and I failed every time.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have the tools to help me write them down, it was that I always got lost in the process. I finally realized that I needed someone who already knew how to write down their goals to take the time to guide me through the process. Once I found that person, I was finally able to define and write down my goals and it has been one of the most life changing things I have ever done.
Think about riding a bike. How successful would you have been if your parents just handed you a bike and told you to figure out how to ride it on your own? Some of you would have eventually have figured it out, but would have gotten pretty beaten up in the process. For most of you, though, you would have given up before you ever mastered the skill. This is exactly the same when it comes to defining and writing down your goals.
So here is my challenge for you today:
If you have never written down your goals, make a choice today to make it happen. Maybe you already have the tools, or maybe you have no idea where to begin. Either way, I encourage you to reach out to someone you know who will help guide you to define and write down your goals. If you can’t think of someone, I have great news for you!
As I thought about sharing this topic, I didn’t want to discourage people who may not have someone to help them. If this is you and you would like help, I am willing to put together a workshop to help you define and write down your goals. I promise you it will be one of the best things you ever do in your life. If you are interested in the workshop, just reply to this email or email me at tom@anywherecomputercare.com and I will send you more details.
We all can achieve greater things if we are just willing to help each other get there. It would be my honor and privilege to help you master the skill of defining, writing down, and reaching your goals.
