One of the keys on the road to success is to understand WHY you are going where you are going. Or why you are where you are!
What motivates you to do something? For example - what motivated you to go down a certain career path? Potential to make good money? To use your skills? Potential to always be challenged? Because you are 'following' the path that your parents set for you? Do you even know? Another example - also with career - what motivated you to take or create you current job? Pay, prestige, benefits?
Some of us can answer those questions when we talk about career and career related examples. Generally, we know why we are in a certain job or on a certain career path; and we also know where we want to go.
But often we are less clear about what motivates us in other areas of our life. I think there is a need for clarity on the 'why' in our life. This is particularly true of anything that involves you and your goals - what motivates you? Why did you set a certain goal? Why did you achieve or not achieve certain goals? If you can't answer the question "why' then I think it is certain that the 'how' will elude you.
Beyond that I think that there is an issue that is often ignored in goal setting. Who is setting your goals? Too often we end up with goals that are 'hand me down' - they are goals that were/are set for us by others. Your parents tell you that you 'should' be a doctor and you become a doctor. But did YOU want to be a doctor? Society tells you that you 'should' get married so you vigorously pursue a relationship and finding someone to marry; only to find you are unhappy because it wasn't what YOU wanted.
If you haven't already, take the time to think about what you really want. Ignore the expectations of society, of your family, and of your peer group. What do you want? Once you have that clearly in your mind - set the goals that will take you there.
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