“If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish.” – Steve Maraboli
Which of the following statements apply to you?
- I have goals
- I have specific goals
- I have specific goals and I know how to achieve them
- I have specific goals, I know how to achieve them, and I know when I will achieve them.
I would assume that most people could at least convince themselves of the first statement. The second statement likely led to deep thought and some broad generalizations. Interestingly enough, the third and fourth statements have never even garnered a single thought in the minds of many. The moment people realize this, the above quote by Steve Maraboli begins to resonate.
Four days ago, I used my free monthly audible credit on a book called “6 Months to 6 Figures” by Peter J. Voogd. The fantastic quotes, principles and philosophical one-liners in the book are absolutely jaw-dropping and have been ever since the start. After listening to the book for a while, I started to notice the author giving some calls-to-action. The author was addressing the importance of goal setting, telling the reader to write down goals for the next six months. I kept listening and after a brief pause the author began telling the reader to write down goals for the next three months. Again, another brief pause occurred before the next call-to-action. In my head I knew I had goals for the next six months, and I especially knew I had goals for the next three months. I decided that it couldn’t hurt to write them down and immediately paused the audio-book, grabbing a pen and some paper. What happened next was shocking. An hour had passed and the only thing that could be found on the notebook paper was ketchup from a sandwich I had been eating. I had realized the unthinkable, I didn’t actually have any goals. I couldn’t even think of one goal that wasn’t painted with a roller. Even if I did have a goal, at best I hoped to achieve it “someday.” It was an eye-opening experience for me considering my aspirations for future success. After a lot of brainstorming, I was eventually able to record my goals for the next six months as well as some sub-goals that would help me along the way. After my goals were in writing, I felt much better and I had also discovered a few takeaways from this concept of writing down your goals.
- If your goals are not in writing, you aren’t as clear
- If your goals are not in writing, you aren’t as focused
- If your goals are not in writing, your time is less valuable
- If your goals are not in writing, you aren’t as accountable
- If your goals are not in writing, you aren’t as consistent
Our memory is not as good as we think it is. Many brilliant people have left their great idea behind in the graveyard because they did not “write it down.” How many times have you thought of something epic and then found yourself furious at yourself later because you couldn’t remember it. Who knows how much innovation has been buried beneath the earth’s topsoil.
I read about a study conducted in 1979 on a Harvard MBA program which came to the conclusion that only 3% of respondents had written goals. An unbelievable number for students from such a prestigious business school. What was even more hard to believe was that 84% of respondents said they had no goals at all. The other 13% said they had goals but they had not written them down. Ten years later the same students were interviewed again revealing mind-blowing results. On average, the 3% with written goals were earning on average ten times as much income as the other 97%.Although money isn’t the only way to measure success, it can serve as a good indicator. As Zig Ziglar once said, “Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘gotta have it’ scale.”
In closing, ever since I decided to take the time to write down my goals with a timeline, I feel that I have a clearer grasp of what it is that I am trying to achieve. I am more focused on my goals because I know exactly what I have to do to achieve them. My time has become more valuable because my goals are in accordance with an established timeline. Accountability and consistency are extremely vital and it is a lot harder to make excuses when your dreams are staring back at you.
“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” – Diana Scharf
Stephen Johnson
Positive Imbalance 