Scrutinize Your Goals

 A person who aims at nothing never misses. Aiming low is the biggest mistake. Winners see objectives, losers see obstacles. Our goals should be high enough to motivate yet realistic enough to avoid discouragement. Anything we do, either takes us closer to our goal or further away.

 Each goal must be evaluated in light of the following (similar to the Rotary's Four-Way Test):

 1. Is it the truth?

 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 

3. Will it get me goodwill?

 4. Will it get me health, wealth, and peace of mind? 

5. Is it consistent with my other goals? 

6. Can I commit myself to it? 

The following examples fail the test:

 a. If one of my goals is to be the embodiment of good health with no money, it is quite obvious that it will be hard to survive. That means it is not consistent with my other goals.

 b. A person could make all the money in the world, yet if he loses his family and health, it is not worth it, is it? 

c. A person could make a million dollars by selling drugs but then for the rest of his life, he would be running from the law. It would take away his peace of mind. And this kind of behavior would not be fair to all concerned nor will it give him goodwill. 

Each goal must be evaluated by putting it to the test and all goals must be in congruence. 

Goals without action are empty dreams. Actions turn dreams into goals. Even if we miss our goals, it does not make us a failure. Delay does not mean defeat. It only means one has to replan to accomplish one's target. Just like a camera needs focus to take a good picture, we need goals to make a productive life.