T is for Target.

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

– Zig Ziglar

Goal-setting is probably the most important part of your transformation. You have to have a target to aim at or else how will you ever know when you’re where you want to be? Another good Zig Ziglar quote states that once you’ve set your goal, you’re already halfway to achieving it.

I have not always been the most forward-thinking person. As Bethy (my wife) will tell you, I have pretty much always lived in the present. That’s not to say that I’ve never had any goals; it’s just that I never had a working plan to achieve my goals. I would say something like “Someday I want to [blank].” That’s more of a hopeful aspiration than a real goal. A real goal is followed by the saying “Here’s what I need to do to do that.”

Having a well-laid plan is like having a good road map. You wouldn’t decide to take a road trip around the country and then just head out the door, get in your car and start driving. That would be stupid. No, instead you would (or should) sit down and figure out all the sights you want to see, decide how much money you’ll need (for gas, hotels, souvenirs, etc), and determine how long the trip will take and when the best time to take it would be. Making changes in your life must have the same planning phase. More than just deciding what end result you would like, you have to figure out what you need to do to get there.

At some point, I’m sure I’ll go into a bit more detail about coming up with goals and creating a plan (maybe I’ll have Bethy write that one), but for now just remember that goals and planning are the first keys to transformation and change.

You must have a target to aim at, otherwise what are you shooting for?

~CLP