Here is another excerpt from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
When I started to work full-time at the age of 14, there was no such thing as job security. Feeling that I could always find another job in a week, I set a goal of saving enough money to cover my expenses for seven days. When I reached that, I then set one of being able to cover my expenses for two weeks, then three weeks, a month, and so on. Although I didn’t realize it at such a very young age, I was actually setting retirement goals. However, had I started out with the goal of saving enough money on which to retire, I would have become discouraged and abandoned the process very early on. But by setting a realistic goal, and then setting another realistic goal when the previous one was reached, I learned the right way to approach the goal-setting process.
Goals without timetables are just wishes.
Your goals should require effort but shouldn’t be impossible; otherwise, you’ll get frustrated and give up.
Seek progress, not perfection.
Don’t try too hard to top others, but always try to top yourself.
When yesterday becomes more important than tomorrow, it’s time to set a new goal.
Goals must be specific; poorly-defined goals promote procrastination.
Ambition is important but should never trump reason.
When feeling down, set some easy goals and work your way back up.
Don’t let short-term failures frustrate long-term goals.
People with goals are potentially successful people, mainly because there’s so little competition.
If you don’t have a plan of your own, you’re going to be a part of someone else’s.
Long-term goals have to be broken down into short-term sub-goals with rewards along the way; and the rewards should always be worth the hardship.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth getting to.
If you don’t know where you’re going you won’t know when you get there.
When we can’t make circumstances fit our goals, we have to make our goals fit the circumstances.
Wise people don’t waste energy on pursuits for which they are not suited; and they’re wiser still who diligently follow the thing they do best.
Achievements usually start out as dreams, but they always carry a price tag.
Goals based on quality are more rewarding than goals based on quantity.
To get anywhere you have to start from where you are, not from where you’d like to be.
One of your goals should always be to do your best at whatever it is you’re doing.
The only way to always get what you want is to want only what you can reasonably get.
It’s always better to plan than to fantasize.
If you can conceive it and believe it you can probably achieve it.