If you want to drive from your home to a store on the other side of town, you’ll need an automobile with gas in the tank and the keys to start the car. But you’ll also need to know how to drive. You’ll need judgment based on life experiences to tell you when to step on the brakes if a traffic light changes to red. You’ll need a desire to reach your destination so you don’t keep stopping for coffee and a piece of pie every ten minutes. You’ll need to know how much time to allot for the trip so you can get home in time for whatever else you have to do. And you’ll need enough maturity to call and say you’re going to be late if you get stuck in a traffic jam. You can’t measure these requirements with a yardstick, but they’re as important to reaching your destination as the car, the gas, or the keys to start the engine.
Let’s continue this metaphor for another moment or two. There are all sorts of ways to keep track of the condition of a motor vehicle. You can look at the tires to see whether they’ve worn out their tread, you can look at the odometer to see how long it’s been since you changed the oil, and you can turn on a switch and then walk around the car to see if the headlights and taillights are working properly. There are objective indicators of the condition of your car.
Self-preparation is a discipline that has two benefits. The first is that it moves you towards your goal. You’ve already got it in your mind. You know where you want to go. You’re getting already for it. You’re doing all the things you’re supposed to do. By getting ready to achieve your goals, you’re moving closer to them.
The second major benefit to self-preparation is that it refuels your mission. The things that you are doing today are getting you ready for tomorrow. It’s exciting. You know that you’re getting closer every day. Your ambition must be kept alive. It must continue to move forward–otherwise, you’re just daydreaming. You must keep active and keep moving forward so your ambition can fuel you and motivate you to reach where you want to be.
One thing you may not be thinking about now is preparing for the day you reach your goals: being ready, being worthy, becoming the person you need to be in pursuit of what you want. What good is an opportunity if you’re not prepared to take advantage of it? It’s no good. It won’t do a thing for you. Be prepared.
To help you with this preparation, here’s what’s called the “Self-Knowledge Acid Test.” Quickly, without thinking too much about it, list your three most important long-term, work-related goals. Is there a client you’ve been trying to sign for several months? Is there a major sale you’ve been trying to make? Are you hoping for a promotion or a partnership in the firm? These are objectives that you want to achieve, that will take a while to get. Write them down.
I (Jim Rohn) have been encouraging you to set lofty, noble goals. But it’s important to have a little fun in the process, too.
On my first list of goals, I had a little revenge. My target was a man from Budget Finance who used to harass me. I got two or three payments behind, and one guy called incessantly, saying, “We’re going to come get your car and tow it up and down the street in front of your neighbors.” Whoa! He really tried to put me down. When I got my life straightened out, one of the first priorities on my list was Budget Finance. And when I finally had enough money for my back payments, I needed a little drama. I got the money in small bills and put it in a big briefcase. I walked into the Budget Finance office in Los Angeles and found the guy who harassed me so much. I went up to his desk and stood right in front of him.
I (Jim Rohn) have two important rules for setting goals. By following these rules, you will achieve a great deal and become more than you ever could have imagined.
Here’s the first rule: don’t set your goals too low. In leadership training, we teach a similar guideline: don’t join an “easy” crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations are high. Go where the demands are high. Go where the pressure is to perform, to grow, to change, to read, to study, to develop new skills.
Let me (Jim Rohn) give you a scenario for setting your goals. When I started making my first list, Mr. Shoaff said, “Mr. Rohn, it looks like we’re going to be together for a while. I’ve got a suggestion for you. You are a twenty-five-year-old American male. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes, but now you’re on the road to better things. You’ve got the motivation to make a difference. This is American. The possibilities are endless. Why don’t you set a goal of becoming a millionaire? Millionaire… it’s got a nice ring to it.”
As he was about to explain why becoming a millionaire is a worthy goal, I thought, the man doesn’t need to teach me why. It would be great to have a million dollars! But he had a reason that was infinitely more compelling than mine. It is one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned, and I’m about to share it with you.
Goals are important for a genuinely success-oriented person. Without them, you’re just playing around. The difference between a goal-directed individual and someone without goals is like the difference between a Wimbledon champion and a kid batting a tennis ball around on a court with no net, no opponent to bring out the best in him, and no way of keeping score.
Despite everything that’s been written about the importance of goal setting, very few people actually put it into practice. It’s always amazed me, the way the average person devotes more thought and effort to planning his or her two-week vacation than to planning his life.
My (Jim Rohn) mother studied health and lived to pass what she learned along to me, my father, my children, and my grandchildren. What a legacy that was! Learning to take care of yourself is one of the most important lessons in life. Some people don’t do well because they don’t feel well. They’ve got the gifts, they’ve got the skills. Maybe they just haven’t taken care of themselves. They don’t have the vitality. If you want to avoid that unhappy situation, you need to take care of yourself.
I know a man who raises race horses. He’s so careful how he feeds his horses, that they get everything they could possibly need. And because of that extreme care, these are magnificent animals. They can run like the wind. But you ought to see this guy. After ten steps up a flight of stairs, he’s out of breath. His horses can run like the wind, and he can hardly make it up the steps. The guy takes care of his animals better than he takes care of himself.
