Microsoft Word who will cry when u die doc

48. 
Get Serious About Setting Goals 
Many speakers and authors encourage you to set goals but most have never explained why this is such a 
powerful discipline beyond saying something like “Something magical happens when you write down your 
goals on paper.” In my opinion, setting clearly defined goals for all the areas of your life works for three 
reasons. First, it restores a sense of focus in your world, a world that has become complicated by too many 
options. In this age we live in, there are simply far too many things to do at any given time. There are too many 
distractions that compete for our attention. Goals clarify our desires and, in doing so, help us to focus on only 
those activities that will lead us to what we want. 
 
Setting clearly defined goals provides you with a frame – work for smarter choices. If you know 
precisely where you are going, it becomes far easier to select those activities that will get you there. Writing 
down your goals clarifies your intentions (and the first step to realizing your vision is defining it). As novelist 
Saul Bellow once observed, “A clear plan relieves you of the torment of choice.” Or as author Glenn Bland 
wrote, “Goals and plans take the worry out of living.” If you set goals, the actions you take will be based on 
your life’s mission rather than on you days – to – day moods. 
 
The second reason that goal – setting works is that it keep you alert to opportunities. The discipline 
almost magnetizes your mind to seek out new opportunities, opportunities that you need to seize in order to 
create the personal, professional and spiritual life you desire. And the third reason goal – setting works is that 
clearly defined goals commit you to a course of action. They give you the inspiration to act on your priorities 
and make things happen in your life rather than waiting for opportunities to land in your lap (which rarely 
happens). Selecting goals that engage and motivate you is one of the best ways to boost the level of your 
personal commitment to life and increase the energy you bring to your days. So set big goals. You are only as 
rich, whether materially or spiritually, as your dreams. Or as advertising genius David Ogilvy put it, “Don’t 
bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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