Goals

As we go into 2009, I think 09 could be one of the worst years in many and according to all reports it is going to take a long time to work our way out of this slump.
There has been way to much greed going on and there is nothing we can do about it. Our politicians have given us a good screwing this time. Setting and reaching my goal is going to require a little more work now.
Setting and reaching goals during my working years was one thing I was really good at. There are many good ideas from many authors much better than I, you can just Google "goals" and read 10,000 articles. All I can share with you is the fact that goal setting was the single biggest factor in my success.
My goal could not be just a general term Like take a vacation to Scotland. I would write it down on my calendar. Go to Scotland for 3 weeks and leave on Aug 4.
I always set my goals in the last quarter of a year for the next year. And setting a goal takes a lot of time, I had to be very specific, then I had to make a plan of work to afford that vacation, I would have to check plane ticket cost, hotels, plan my spending money and so on. But if I wrote it down and decided to do it, nothing could get in my way (barring an act of God). That goal would become a force that drove me. I would decide that I had to buy my ticket be the end of Jan, line up my hotels by the end of Feb, rent a car ect and I would accomplish my goal one step at a time and on schedule.
In all my working years I never set a goal for a specific amount of money, I always considered money to be my servant and not my master. That vacation was far more important than the money. And I could visualize myself in a castle pretty easy.
Now working was a condition not my goal. But my goal was the fuel that motivated me.
My dead lines were appointment that could not be canceled. Now I have always been self employed, I have never been in the position to grab onto someone else's coat tail and let them drag me though life while they reap the rewards of my efforts and they get richer.
If I would have ever said "My goal is to make $25k by June" for my vacation I would have never been able to take a vacation.
As I said work was a condition but my goals were always PLAY, playing has always been for more important to me than working for money.
As I look back over my working career, I can say I would not change anything because I have played a lot. Now that I have retired I have settled down to some serious playing.