If you have ever studied any of my teachings, you are well aware that I frequently stress the importance of meaningful goals. This is a subject that you would have great difficulty placing too much emphasis upon. (I think I know what you are trying to say here, let me rephrase: “A subject that could never receive enough attention.
Sifting through reams of information cataloguing the range of varying degrees of performers, two shocking facts emerge. Individuals setting goals achieve more, enjoying far more than those who do not, those writing out their goals achieve the most of all.
A study was conducted involving Harvard University, reaching out to ten year alumni to find out how many were achieving their goals. The study revealed some very interesting information. An astounding 83% had ZERO GOALS – NONE. They had absolutely no targets they were working toward. (Never start a sentence with a number) About 14 % had specific goals but none were written down. They were however, earning three times the income the 83% were earning.
I found those figures fairly interesting, but listen to this. The 3% having specific goals in writing earned ten times the income of the 83% who had no goals. For many readers this information may be shocking but is not to those closely watching the study participants and results.
J.C. Penny, founder of the retail store chain bearing his name said, “Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I’ll give you a person who will make history. Give me a person without a goal and I’ll give you a stock clerk.”
Maxwell Maltz said, “You and I function akin to bicycles. Unless we are moving forward toward an objective, we will fall and fail.”
Remember, people who write down their goals achieve higher levels of completion. If you do nothing else today give this some good thought – set goals, write them down and review often. You will reap the rewards of this one simple task for the rest of your life.