Goal setting is a critical component to success in anything, and that includes a successful life. Life is a journey and without a destination, all you’re doing is wandering.

Before you set goals–big, lifetime goals, and small, “here’s what I want to accomplish tomorrow” goals–before you get specific about what and how much and when and who, I want to encourage you to spend some time doing something else.

I want you to dream.

I’ll bet it’s been a long time since you did any dreaming. You’re so busy making a living you don’t have time to do anything else. But what if, in your zeal to climb the ladder of success you overlooked the fact that it was leaning against the wrong wall?

It’s not too late. You can dream again–and you should.

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Dream. Discover.”

Too often, people plan their lives logically. They assess where they are and look forward and the path they see before them is the one they take.

“Well, I have these skills and that degree and these are my assets, and it makes perfect sense for me to. . . blah blah blah.” Before you know it, twenty years have gone by and while they may be successful, too often, they aren’t happy.

And happiness, my friend, is why you were put here on Earth.

Put logic aside for a moment and get in touch with your emotions. What makes your heart sing? What did you once want so much it makes you cry thinking about it? What would you be doing right now if you had all the money you could possibly spend, perfect health, and unlimited time?

When you have answered these questions–truthfully–come back and we’ll talk.

Harold Thurman Whitman said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

I like the way an unknown writer put it: “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, ‘Holy sh**… what a ride!'”

David Ward
“Be a mentor with a servant’s heart!”