The Power of Goal Getting

October 14, 2009 by Milton Kamwendo
Filed under: Unleashing Greatness 

Many people have heard a lot about “Goal Setting” and many have even tried it and come up with a variety of results. Others have stated wish lists and empty resolutions that they confused for goals to their frustration and disappointment. The power of goals is not just in dreaming them up.

It is in setting them, then using them as a homing device for all our action and then pursuing them with massive resolve, enthusiasm and focus. That is why I prefer to call the exercise of setting and pursuing one’s goals until they are begging for mercy “goal getting”. Goal getting is the mother of all worthwhile achievements and the parent of all greatness. Real goals inspire action. If no action flows from our goals, it means we just had noble wishes. Wishes provide psychological comfort but they lack the resolve that characterises effective goals.

We were not created for mediocrity. The tragedy of life is that we are born originals but most of us die as bad off-colour copies and faint shadows of who we really were meant to be. Orison Swett Marden was right when he said: “Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing, forces that would revolutionise his life if aroused and put into action.”

Many people who are reading this article have done well in some key areas of their lives. However, from the perspective of our creator, what we would have achieved when we are at the peak of our success is only a tiny fraction of what we are capable of being. The tragedy in life is not that people pursue lofty grandiose goals but that they aim too low and hit. They therefore plateau too soon. To expire before our human shelf life is over is an unfortunate and miserable thing. This is why the great motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar said: “Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.”

Goals are a Necessity
Having clear, written goals is critical for anyone who desires greatness in any arena. Goals are as necessary to the life of success as oxygen to normal human life. Without goals a human life loses meaning and becomes a mere existence. Life is not meant to be “died” but to be lived to the full. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. Goals are an expression of where we are going and what we are becoming. Our goals are simply previews of coming attractions in our lives. In the 22 Non-negotiable Laws of wellness, Greg Anderson says: “When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.” Anyone who sets out in life without knowing where he is going is likely to end up where he never dreamt of being. If we have no goals to make our lives and organisations better than the present we can expect that the future will not be any better.

Goals Inspire Achievement
Some research studies done a long while ago say that fewer than 5% set written goals and less than 1% achieve those goals. Anyone therefore who has written, specific goals that he or she is pursuing is in the elite 5% of achievers in the world. It may not look like now but in the short while to come, the results will start showing. Goals create a sense of focus that causes us to move with speed on the path of greatness. No one can get far in any journey of life by just taking an aimless lazy stroll. Goals make us achieve faster than we normally would. They are the catalyst of all greatness. The clearer our goals, the faster we move forward. Underlying any major achievement known to men are clear goals that are pursued relentlessly.

Having goals does not mean that there will be no challenges. It just means that the challenges will be easier to manage. Instead of the challenges becoming stumbling blocks they become stepping-stones. Instead of problems becoming impossibilities that become challenges to inspire our faith and creativity. A detour simply becomes a short delay not the end of the journey. People with goals can be delayed but they cannot be denied.

To your greatness

Milton Kamwendo

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Comments

One Response to “The Power of Goal Getting”

  1. McLoddy on October 28th, 2009 7:39 pm

    This article is priceless. I mean it´s one of those articles that you can´t help but feel that the man is droping the bombs of information. If taken seriously, this article can propel too a many to dizzier heights.

    Keep up the good work!

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