By: D. A. Slinkard
What do you want to accomplish this year? What do you want to accomplish in the next three years? What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime? What do you need to achieve to look back on your life and say, “I lived a successful life”? These are important questions that need to be answered by everyone because too many people are living a life that is far from meeting their expectations. We have many people who are walking around depressed, feeling lowly, feeling rejected because they have not taken the time to think about what will bring their life purpose.
I believe one of the most important daily habits a person can do is write down their goals. It is vital for me to write down in the morning what I want to achieve. It is vital for me to write down in the evening what I want to achieve. It is vital for me to write down my goals and commit them to paper daily. Failure to do so is ultimately a failure waiting to happen in our lives. Our chances of having success diminish the longer we live life not knowing what we want to expect out of it.
Someone might say I write too much about goal setting. However, I believe I do not write enough about goal setting because there are too many people out there who still are not committing their goals to paper. We think too highly of ourselves, almost as if we are too good to take the time to write our goals down — as if it is beneath us. Too many people are accusing others of just being lucky when it comes to their success when it is not about being lucky but about being disciplined enough to make your life count.
It has been said we all have two lives, and the second life begins the moment we understand we only have one life to live. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, would oftentimes tell people to live life as if it was their last day because eventually it will be your last day. Every one of us will have “lasts” in life. There will be the last time we talk to our parents, the last time we talk to our siblings, the last time we talk to our spouse, the last time we talk to our children, the last time we show up to work, the last time we…fill in the blank.
I know I need to make sure my conversations with my wife are sweet. I know I need to make sure my conversations with my daughters are loving because we are not guaranteed tomorrow. What about you? Have you been living your life taking it for granted? I want to encourage you to live your life in a manner as if it was your last day. If we had this type of intensity, we would see even more success because too many of us are walking around leaving too many things undone for tomorrow. We all know that tomorrow never comes, and when our life is over, that is all she wrote.
I do not want anyone to take this life for granted, and the purpose of this column is to motivate people to make decisions that will help them find success. My definition of success is going to be different than yours, but I write these articles hoping to have an impact on others. Every person on this planet will come into the world and leave the world the exact same way. We can take nothing with us, but we can leave an impact on those here after us.
What impact are you wanting to have on those nearest you? What do you want to be remembered for? Too many people realize they wanted to achieve more in life, but they realize it when it is too late. Live today with the mentality that your life will be different from this point forward. Truly take the time and think about what impact you want to have and jot it down.
Reflect on what you have written and then think about ways you can bring to light what you want to accomplish. This is the early stage of bringing success to your life, and then it requires taking steps daily to move you closer to achievement. We have one life to live – why put off another day what you can easily achieve today? Write down your goals.
By: D. A. Slinkard
D. A. Slinkard would love your feedback. You can contact him at da.slinkard@gmail.com
July 19, 2024
