Aim, target, plan, purpose, and ambition are a few words that are used synonymously with the dominant word, “goal”.
Having a goal ergo means having an aim to realise, a target to hit, a plan to work towards, a purpose to accomplish and an ambition to strive for.
An analysis of average men depicts lives with no specific goals in place. It is only a few among us who have a goal for themselves and spend the days of their lives towards achieving that goal. Further analysis also point to the fact that only such people end up having lived a fulfilling and contented life. For, goals become instrumental in shaping our day to day activities. They define the best use of our time.
They fill our hours with a purpose and instil in us that sense of direction that is required to get any substantial returns out of life.
Starting out on a journey with no particular destination to arrive at is an analogy for a life with no goals in place.
Modern world, with technology at the finger tips, acting more as a constant distraction rather than as a source of inspiration, supports a fast life in which the days seem busy and the hours appear to be packed with activities.
The day scurries past like an endless vistas and it even appears that life is absorbing. Yet, if a clear goal is not envisioned, it is easy to get lost in trivial activities, directionless actions, purposeless engagements and meaningless undertakings.Thinkers and authors who have studied this kind of a reactive life of the common man describe the phenomenon as “climbing the wrong mountain”.
Thomas Merton, an American Catholic writer and mystic, internationally known for his religious profundity and insightful reflections on the problems and possibilities of the world, put it as, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
It is true that “when the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” Setting goals eliminates this occurrence. It is imperative to have clearly laid out goals for our lives.
Writing them down and reading them every day will reinforce our commitment towards the attainment of these goals.
Clearly defined goals are the beacons that will direct us, guide us, brighten our path in the journey of our lives and take us to great heights in life.
Earl Nightingale summed it up sagely, “You have a rudder-like control on your life, and you get that control largely by the goals you set with deep desires.”
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