In 1994, I attended a Junior Achievement leadership conference as a high school student at an
obscure location near Park Mammoth, Kentucky. Little did I know that I would leave that
simple 3 day conference empowered with a new secret weapon for long-term success in my life:
the secret weapon that I was taught was the importance of goal-setting. I had never even
thought of taking all the things that I ever wanted to do in life and deciding to put them
down on paper. What I found was that the more goals I wrote down, the more goals I developed,
and the more I dreamed. Over time, I noticed that I was becoming more aware of my wants,
needs, and position in life. I had my list of goals to refer back to and look at every day
as I finished high school and went on to college and beyond. Ever since that little
leadership conference in Kentucky, I have been setting, realizing, and revising goals. Goal
setting has enabled me to live a life that none, including myself, would have imagined I could
have ever lived! Thus, goal setting has become an important, time-consuming activity for me, and
has fueled my drive for realizing new experiences, meeting new people, and visiting new places.
It's Never Too Late to Begin Setting Goals
Even if you have never set a goal in your life, it's not to late to begin doing so! Just like
Morgan Freeman says in The Shawshank Redemption, "Either get busy
living, or get busy dying..." That's darn right. If you are feeling like you want
to break out of a mold of living that you are in, then do it! Set some goals and
empower yourself. Here's how to start: How to Set Goals
Get a pen and piece of blank paper - I prefer paper without lines on it. When goalsetting, lines on paper could have an affect of limiting the goals I will set.
Relax your mind completely, and block out all worldly cares and concerns. Imagine that you are the richest person in the world.
Now, think about some of the things that you would like to do if you had the ability to do so. Where would you travel to? What experiences would you have? What kinds of people would you meet?
Write down every single thing that you would do if you were the richest person in the world. It could be any crazy thing you have wanted to do, any milestone you want to accomplish, or any action that you would wish to perform, such as buying an object or helping a neighbor. Anything... It's up to you!
Now, go back through your list and transform the wording in to "goal format." Reword each line to read "I will ______ "
Now, think about what goals you have for your personal life, and add them to the list. Be sure to include them in the goal format as well.
Finally, place your list in a place where you can review it or see it everyday.
Now, you're ready to begin working on implementing your goals. Don't worry that your goals may seem
unrealizable right away. Just work on achieving the goals that you can. One thing will lead to another.
After all, you have your whole life ahead of you! It's never too late to begin working on this
process, and I know that you'll find it beneficial. From time to time, review your goals and
make additions and subtractions based on your changing wants and desires. It's all up to you.
You are in control. Remember though, you must write down your goals and look at them daily...
that is imperative!
Listings of My Goals
Now that you have observed my goal setting process, take a look at some of my goals below.
The following are lists of my current, realized, retired (and unaccomplished),
and potential lifetime goals for you to review. The goals are listed in no particular
order in each list, and these lists are by no means exhaustive. You'll notice some of
my goals are a little bit strange, but that's okay! I don't know a single person in the world
that is normal. What the heck does that mean anyway? To be a normal person? Bah! So read on...
I hope you enjoy!
Current Goals
I will visit the 100 most populous cities in the world (based on populations in 1996) by 2047.
I will visit the 100 most populous cities in the United States (based on the 2001 list) by 2017.
I will own a night club.
I will earn certification as a bartender.
I will own a home in Costa Rica, the Caribbean, or Mexico.
I will have enough financial security such that I do not need life insurance.
I will own a roller skating rink.
I will learn the art of professional photography.
I will raise my children.
I will own a Porsche.
I will have a computer system in my home which enables me to operate my house from a
single room.
I will have a conference room in my home.
I will further the sport of chess in my community.
I will be fluent in the use of computers.
I will write computer programs for my personal use.
I will own or lease an island.
I will visit the Supreme Court of the United States.
I will be rich, but be disciplined enough to not let it go to my head.
I will reimburse my parents for the help they gave me to get my education.
I will send both of my parents to Europe on a vacation.
I will compose a piece of choral music.
I will conduct a performance choir.
I will learn the basics of carpentry.
I will own a pool table.
I will be physically fit and have lots of muscles.
I will obtain a black belt in one of the martial arts.
I will buy my mom a hearse. (She has always wanted to drive one.)
I will establish a family estate.
I will obtain the Ph.D. degree.
I will own a yacht.
I will write several books, one being the history of my family.
I will own a large house with a dark room, recording studio, a good view, wine cellar, and possibly a basketball court and racquetball court in an adjoining building.
I will be the CEO of my own firm, or the president of a large company.
I will learn to shoot trap and skeet.
I will learn to sail a full size sailboat.
I will speak Spanish, French, and Latin fluently, German and Turkish secondly, and attain reading knowledge of ancient Greek.
I will own a convertible.
I will be a marksman and be proficient in the storage and use of firearms.
I will be an Emergency Medical Technician.
I will be a contributor to charity.
I will tithe.
I will learn how to be an automobile mechanic and fix cars.
I will trade in negotiable securities.
I will have a big family with at least four children.
I will correct my golf slice and become a great golfer.
Without question, the most difficult of my current goals are numbers 1 and 36 above.
Future/Potential Goals
I will run for President of the United States
I will be elected President of the United States
I will attain the degree of medical doctor.
I will hold the juris doctor degree.
I will finish the Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree.
I will own a private jet.
I will own a cottage in the Swiss Alps.
I will own a vacation house on the Turkish Mediterranean Coast.
Major Goals Accomplished to Date (with detail and year of completion)
I will go to college. (Purdue Class of 1999)
I will be a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. (entered 1996)
I will graduate from Purdue University with a bachelors degree. (1999)
I will go to graduate school. (entered 1999, MBA 2002)
I will live in Chicago. (1999 - 2002)
I will bungee jump. (It was reputedly the 2nd highest jump in the world, Queenstown, NZ, 1999)
I will go SCUBA diving. (off the coast of Australia, 1999)
I will construct this webpage. (completed September, 2002)
I will dance at Club Dance or the Whitehorse Saloon. (danced at Whitehorse Saloon)
Cancelled Goals (with details)
I will buy each of my brothers a car for Christmas one year. (still a possibility, but I understand now that I can perhaps help them more in other ways.)
I will head a secretive organization. (this was childhood wonder)
I will be affiliated with the government or CIA. (childhood wonder again, but still a possibility)
