11-26-01. Sunday Journal, 496 words
SET CLEAR AND SIMPLE GOALS
By Dalton Roberts
IPS Features
It's
great to see proof in your own journal of the power of your own decisions. In
1988 I listed decisions in the five most vital areas of life: spiritual, family,
professional, intellectual and physical.
Instead
of a long list of goals, I only listed two goals in each category. Today as I
read those entries, it felt good to know I had realized every single goal I
listed 13 years ago.
One
cause of failure in goal setting is setting too many goals. Just list two in
each category – the two that mean the most to you – and you will achieve
them.
So
what did I do today when I saw I had reached all my 1988 goals? I set two new
ones in each category! Some were re-focusings of earlier goals, Even if we reach
a goal, we can redefine it more clearly and succinctly.
"Succinctly"
is a key word here. State your goals as succinctly and clearly as possible, the
shorter the better. Use strong "trigger words." A trigger word is one
with emotional power.
LIMELIGHT
CHANGES
In
my journal of this date was a collage of pictures of prominent people present at
a big outdoor festival. One was a popular congressman later killed in a plane
crash. Another was a handsome businessman getting ready to run for governor who
was later imprisoned for crooked business practices. One was a musician, now
dead. Another was a top musician, now crippled with congestive heart disease.
Out of the five, after a dozen years, only one remains alive and active.
To
enjoy our time in the limelight, we need to realize it is not a permanent thing.
When I performed on the Grand Ole Opry, I thought of all the great men and women
who had stood there but are now gone.
Fame
is so fleeting. Enjoy it as it happens for it will fly away like a butterfly.
Former
Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter tells about feeling pretty special when he got
elected and returned home, stopping at a country store to see old friends. One
old codger in overalls said, "I know you're a big man now, Ned, but always
remember that how many people come to your funeral will be pretty well
determined by the weather."
Having
served 16 years in a high political office, I can tell you one more thing. Don't
get so enamored by the limelight that you need it. When you leave it, you must
create a way of life that is just as satisfying, providing "limelights' of
your own choice. One of mine is to write something from my heart every day and
another is to take a long meditative walk, completely absorbing all the sights
and sounds of the pathway. I find it as satisfying as anything I ever did in the
political limelight. Both can be delicious morsels in a full life.
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