Every bit of progress that humanity has made, big or small, whether a medical discovery, an engineering victory, a commercial success, can only be achieved if a goal is set.

The discovery that the moon revolves around the earth is not accidental, but because scientists have long set the goal of "conquering the universe".

With a goal, there is a direction for struggle, and there is a motivation to struggle, otherwise there will be no progress.

Without a goal, people will only roam through life, never knowing where to go. So in the end, you can't go anywhere, you can't do anything.

Setting goals is more important to success than air is to life.

Without a goal, no one will succeed. Without air, man cannot survive.

Let's take a look at a 27-year-old young man, who was promoted from a staff member in the mailroom of a company to the deputy general manager of the company. At the age of 33, he became the president of another company.

Here are his arguments about the goal:

"It's not what you've done or what you're doing now, it's what you want to do in the future."

A progressive company often plans to be 10 years or even 20 years later.

Decision-makers in these companies will be asking themselves:

"What do we want the company to look like in 10 years?"

Then you can see them in action, and the scale of the new program is not limited to the needs of the current market, but takes into account the situation in 5 or even 10 years.

Their research is based on developing new products that won't be available for 10 years or more.

A modern company will never play with its own future.

Each of us can learn a lot from some forward-thinking enterprises.

We can, and we should, have a development plan for 10 years.

In this way, you have to be clear about what you want to be in 10 years, and this kind of thinking is crucial.

Like a business, no one will have an ideal future if there is no future development goal.

Without goals, there can be no development.

Let's take a look at this example of not achieving real success because there is no long-term goal.

For a while, I was helping some people with their career planning.

It was in the last week that a gentleman came to me with a professional question. He looked personable and intelligent. He graduated from college 4 years ago and is still single.

We discussed his current career, his education, his hobbies, and other backgrounds.

Then I said to him:

"The purpose of you seeing me is to change jobs, so what kind of job do you want to change?"

"Yes," he said, "that's why I've come to you, I don't know what I want to do." ”

Of course, his problem is a universal one.

However, it will not be of much help for me to just try to arrange for the young man to meet with a few bosses right now.

Trial and error when choosing a career is not ideal.

Out of many employment opportunities, there is only a 1 in 10 chance of finding your dream career.

I knew that in order for my husband to find his dream career, he had to make this clear. He must know where to find a job he likes.

So, I told him, "Let me look at your career plans from this perspective." Can you describe to me what you want to be in 10 years? ”

It was clear that he had seriously considered my problem.

Finally he said, "Well, I guess I'm just looking for a job that pays well and has a dream home, as most people ask for." ”

"Of course," he added, "I haven't thought about it yet. ”

I told him it was normal.

Then he further explained to him that choosing a profession is like saying "give me a ticket" to the conductor.

If you don't say where to go, the conductor can't help you.

In the same way, if you don't tell me your goals for the future, I can't help you.

And only you can know what you want to strive for in the future.

That's when he began to think about it seriously.

Over the next two hours or so, we focused on setting goals rather than analyzing the characteristics of various tasks.

I'm sure you've mastered one of the most important principles when choosing a career:

Before you go, it's important to know where you want to go and what you want to achieve.

Like an advanced enterprise, there should be a long-term plan.

You are like a business, and your talent, your technology and ability are your products.

If you want your product to sell for a good price, you have to have a long-term plan.

Here are two steps you can take to help.

First, look at yourself from three perspectives: work, family, and society.

Breaking yourself down in this way helps you to see the future holistically;

Second, answer the following questions clearly and accurately:

What should you achieve in life?

What kind of person do you want to be?

What should you do to satisfy yourself?

Here's a guide to a 10-year plan you can learn from:

A. Work. 10 years later,

1. How high do you want to be paid?

2. How much power do you want to have?

3. How prestigious do you want to be at work?

B. Family. After 10 years:

1. What level of living do you want to provide for your family?

2. What kind of house do you want to live in and what kind of car do you want to drive?

3. What kind of vacation would you like to enjoy?

C. Society. After 10 years:

1. What kind of friends are you going to make?

2. What kind of social groups do you want to join?

3. What kind of office will you be in which group?

4. What kind of causes will you support?

A few years ago, my son wanted to build a litter for his smart and cute puppy.

His persistence and zealousness won my support.

So, we started building a house for the dogs themselves. We didn't know anything about carpentry, as we knew from the house we built at the end.

A short time later, a friend of mine passed by and saw our masterpiece and asked:

"What are you building?"

"It's a kennel," I replied.

"What kind of kennel is this?" He asked rhetorically.

Then he pointed out a few mistakes and finally simply said, "Why not plan it well?" Nowadays, to build a kennel, who doesn't draw a drawing beforehand? ”

As you look to the future, don't worry about being unsure.

Measure a person by how big his plans and ambitions are, because your achievements will never exceed your ambitions.

Therefore, be bold in envisioning your future.

"My goal is to own a villa. The house should be in the typical 'manor' style, with two storeys of white pillars, surrounded by a fence with roses and a fish pond, as my wife and I both love fishing. The kennel should be built somewhere at the back of the house. I've always longed for a long, tree-lined driveway.

"Having a house doesn't mean having a home. I'm going to do everything I can to turn my house into a place that's not just for eating and resting. ”

"In 10 years' time, I vowed to take my whole family around the world," he said. This is to be achieved before the children get married and start a family and leave us. If we can't spare enough time to travel the world all at once, we can do it in 4 or 5 times. Go to one or a few different places at a time. All aspirations depend on my work. So, to achieve these goals, I have to work hard. ”

This program was made five years ago, when the trainee owned two small shops specializing in small goods. Now, he has five of these stores and has saved a lot of money. He is on his way to his goal.

These three aspects of life are closely related and all aspects are interdependent to varying degrees.

But the most impactful thing is your work.

Thousands of years ago, the happiest cavemen were the most successful hunters who were respected by the cavemen.

The same is true today, where the standard of living of our families and the social status they have attained depend largely on the magnitude of our work.

Not long ago, the Management Research Foundation conducted a lot of research on what it takes to become an official.

They surveyed people in senior positions in business, government, science, and universities.

I get the same answer every time, and that is:

The most important condition for becoming an official is to dare to be the first in the world.

Remember this exhortation: "A man will work hard only when he becomes the master of his cause." ”

With desire comes power.

Giving up your ideals and giving up what you are most willing to do often leads to mediocrity, inaction, and a boring life.

I remember talking to a writer for a promising university newspaper.

This author is very capable.

If there is anyone who has made a difference in journalism, it is him.

Shortly after he graduated, I asked him, "What do you want to do?" Want to do journalism? ”

He looked at me and said, "No, I love writing and reporting a lot, and working at a newspaper is a lot of fun." But there are so many journalists that I can buy a dozen for 5 cents, and I don't want to starve to death. ”

I haven't heard from him for 5 years, let alone seen him.

And one night, I met him by chance.

He is now an assistant manager at an electronics company.

He was quick to tell me that he was not satisfied with his current job.

He said sadly: "Oh, the salary is okay, my company is very good, and I have a sense of security in the company." But, you know, I'm not distracted at all. I now regret not going to a publishing house or newspaper when I graduated. ”

See boredom and coldness in his attitude.

He sneered at everything.

If he hadn't quit his current job to pursue journalism, he would never have achieved maximum success.

Success requires a relentless effort of the whole body and mind. And only what you love to do, you will devote yourself to it.

If he had followed his hobby at the time, he might have held a prominent position in the press and publishing industry.

In this way, he will also earn more money and get more satisfaction than his current job.

Switching from a job you don't like to a job you love is like adding 500 horsepower to a 10-year-old car.

Each of us has desires, we all desire to do the work we love, and in fact, many people kill their desires.

In a successful strangulation, 5 weapons are used, and it is necessary to defeat them completely, because they are all extremely dangerous:

1. Self-deprecation. You must have heard people say, "I want to be a physician (or an official, or an artist, or a businessman), but I can't." "I don't have that kind of mind, I'm not that piece of material." "I'm going to fail". "I don't have enough education and experience." Many young people have stifled their desires with this traditional self-deprecating attitude;

2. A sense of security. The person who says "I have a sense of security in the job I am engaged in" is using the weapon of security to stifle his desires;

3. Fear of competition. "It's already crowded." The idea that "everyone who does this kills each other" will also kill your desires very quickly;

4. Parental domination. I've heard hundreds of young people say this about their career choices.

"I really wanted to do something else, and my parents asked me to do it, and I couldn't help it."

I believe that most parents are not insisting on ordering their children to do something.

What every smart parent wants to see is that their children are successful in their careers and have a happy life.

If the child can patiently explain why he or she prefers another job, and their parents can understand their explanation, then this friction will not occur. In fact, the goals of both parents and children are:

Successful career and happy life.

5. Family responsibilities. It would have been nice if I could have changed jobs five years ago, and now that I have a family, I can't do it again. It is also a weapon to stifle desire.

Throw away the weapon that stifles desire.

Remember, you will only be able to do what you want to do, which is the interest and desire cells in your brain.

By respecting your own wishes, you will be more energetic and enthusiastic at work, which is even good for your health.

As long as you can fulfill your wishes, it is never too late.

The vast majority of successful people work more than 40 hours a week, and they never complain about working too many hours.

Successful people are always unstoppable when they don't reach their goals.

The question is:

If you choose the right goal and work hard for it, you will have more energy.

By choosing a target, thousands of people can add new energy. to achieve their goals. With a goal, you will not get bored in work and life, and the goal can even cure a variety of chronic diseases.

Let's dig a little deeper into the role of having a purpose.

When you work hard to achieve your desires, when you persistently pursue your goals, your physical strength, energy, and the enthusiasm needed to accomplish your goals will be high.

You'll also get other things that are valuable. You'll get the "automated system and healing cell population" you need to achieve your goals. ”

With a firm goal, the most amazing thing is that it allows you to move on the track to achieve it, which is not ambiguous nonsense, it is exactly what is going to happen.

Once there is a desire, the goal forms something subconscious.

Your subconscious mind is always balanced, while your consciousness is not.

If there is no subconscious full cooperation, a person will hesitate, will be confused, and will not be assertive.

And once your target seeps into the subconscious, you will automatically react accordingly. And your consciousness can only be used for sober, clear, and direct thinking.

Let's describe this with the example of two people.

As you read it, you'll find that these traits really exist in people you know.

We call these two Zhang Shuai and Li Qiang, and they are equal in many aspects, but they are different in one aspect:

Zhang Shuai set a firm goal, but Li Qiang did not.

Zhang Shuai has a clear plan and precise plan for the future. He intends to become a vice president of a company in 10 years.

Zhang Shuai pursues his wishes relentlessly, and his goal is to tell him "do this" or "don't do that" through his subconscious, that will not help you achieve your wishes. "The goal will always tell him, I am the future you want to achieve, and it's the right thing to do, that's exactly what you have to do to achieve your goals.

Zhang Shuai's goal is not to guide him vaguely and generally, but to give him specific guidance in all activities.

When shopping for clothes, his goals will make him make smart choices;

When he wants to change jobs, his goals remind him every step of the way;

and what to say at a business meeting;

How to resolve conflicts when they arise, what to read, and so on. When slightly off course, his knee-jerk automatic system will alert him and tell him how to get back on track.

Zhang's goals make him quick to react at work.

As for Li Qiang, he lacks goals and has no "automatic system" to guide him. He is easily confused, and because there is no guide to his actions, he is always hesitant, unpredictable, and often suspicious in what he does.

Without a constant goal, Li Qiang is just struggling on a mediocre, winding path.

I suggest you re-read the above and read it now.

Keep this concept in mind.

Then look around you, study the successful people who are high-ranking and generous, and you will see that they are all preoccupied in pursuing their goals without exception.

Look at how the lives of successful people revolve tightly around a common goal.

Pursue your goals, don't stop, don't slack off. Let Him possess you and provide you with the "automatic system and healing cells" necessary to achieve this goal. ”

Sometimes, we wake up on a Saturday and we don't have any plan of action.

On days like these, we won't have any success. Mixing aimlessly all day long;

You'll want it to end soon.

On the contrary, on a planned day, we will happily do everything for the day.

This rather common experience gives us an important hint:

In order to do something, there must first be a plan to accomplish it.

Even before World War II, our physical scientists saw the potential power in atoms.

But little is known about how to break these atoms and release these enormous energies.

When the United States entered the war, far-sighted scientists foresaw the potential of the atomic bomb.

A quick plan was developed to achieve this goal:

Make an atomic bomb.

It's a thing of the past. In just a few years, their persistent pursuit came to fruition, the atomic bomb was used, and the war ended.

No matter what posterity says about this atomic bomb, it must be a scientific advance that ended the brutal war.

But if there had been that crash plan, the splitting of the atom would have been delayed for 10 years or more.

To do something, you first have to set goals.

If our production officials do not develop and stick to production plans and deadlines, our production system will hopelessly come to a standstill.

Leaders in the sales department know that by increasing metrics for salesmen, their sales will increase.

Professors know to give students a deadline that will allow them to turn in their papers on time.

Well, on the way to success, you need to set goals:

deadlines, target dates, prescribed targets, etc.

You will only accomplish what you plan to do.

According to Professor George, an expert in human lifespan at a medical school, a person's lifespan is determined by a variety of factors, including: weight, genetics, diet, mental state, personal habits, and more.

But, George also said, "The quickest way to end your life is to retire and leave yourself idle." To live, one must retain an interest in life. ”

Each of us has our own choices.

Retirement can be the beginning or the end.

Eating, drinking, and sleeping retirement is a fast-paced and suicidal way of retirement.

This majority sees retirement as the end of life.

If there is no goal in life, there is no pursuit, people will quickly self-immolate.

At the other extreme, it is a smart way to retire.

They think, "I'm going to start my life all over again, and the sooner the better." ”

I have a very good friend whose name is Gordon, and he chose this way of retirement.

A few years ago, he retired as a vice president of a major bank, and his retirement really became the start of a new life, and he quickly became a business consultant at an astonishing rate.

Now I'm in my 60s. He has consulted for many clients and has also lectured around the country.

Every time I see him, I think he's younger, he looks like a 30-year-old guy.

Of his peers as I understand him, he gets the most out of life.

Gordon never felt sorry for his old age, let alone complained about it.

Goals, firm goals, are the only guarantee that makes a person energetic.

I had the mother of a college classmate who had cancer when her son was just two years old. To make matters worse, her husband had died just before she found out she had cancer, and her doctor told her there was little hope.

And this lady was not willing to stop there and wait for death. She is determined to run a small retail store that her husband left him so that her son can finish college.

She underwent many surgical procedures.

After each operation, the doctor said, "She only has a few months left." ”

The cancer never cured, but the months were extended to 20 years, and she saw her son graduate from college. Six weeks later, she literally passed away.

Having clear goals can help you live longer.

There is no medicine in the world that can prolong life, but having the desire to do things can really prolong life.

Your doctor will also attest to this.

A person who is determined to achieve maximum success understands the principle that progress is accumulated step by step.

A house is built brick by brick;

Football matches can only be won if they are played in one game;

Department stores grow in size by increasing the number of customers.

Every big achievement is made up of a series of small successes.

Writing in Reader's Digest, Eric, a well-known writer and journalist, said that the best piece of advice he's ever received is the "next-mile rule."

The following is an excerpt from his original text.

"During World War II, I and a few others had to parachute from a military transport plane over the bushes on the border between Danmo and India. It took several weeks for rescue teams to arrive. We had to start the arduous long march on our own. We had to walk 100 kilometers over the mountains, and the weather was very hot and it rained a lot, so you can imagine the extent of the hardship.

"During the first hour of the Long March, I stuck one foot into a spike. By night, I was bleeding from both feet. Can you still cover 100 km? What about others? Some people are worse off than me. Will they be able to make it this way? We don't think we're done. However, we can slowly walk to the next mountain range and spend the night in the friendly village there. Of course, that's the only thing we can do.

"When I stopped working and took on the task of writing a 250,000-word book, my mind could not focus on the book, but on the next paragraph, but not on this page, let alone the next chapter. Six months passed, and I didn't do anything, I just thought about the next paragraph, a book, and wrote it myself.

"A few years ago, I took on a daily manuscript contract, and now there are 2,000 manuscripts. If I had been asked to review 2,000 contracts, maybe I would have turned it down because it was too many. And I was only asked to write one, and then another. All I did was write one copy after another. ”

The principle of "next mile" works for Eric, and it will definitely work for you, and the Chinese Red Army's 10,000-mile long march has also come out step by step.

A sensible approach to achieving each goal is a "step-by-step" approach.

I've heard of a good way to quit smoking.

I call it the "one hour, another hour" method.

It has been proven in my friend to be better than others.

We don't achieve the end goal in one step, and we don't completely break a habit all at once.

If the smoker resolves to stop smoking for another hour, and when this little has passed, he resolves to stop smoking for another hour.

In the future, when the desire to smoke decreases, it will be changed to two hours later, or even a day without smoking, and eventually the goal of never smoking again will be achieved.

Those who want to quit smoking all at once tend to fail, mainly because their psychological pain is unbearable.

An hour is easy, but never a cigarette is difficult.

Achieving every goal requires a "step-by-step" approach.

For a young official, each specific task, although it may seem unimportant, should be seen as an opportunity to make progress.

A lecture to a professor, an experiment to a scientist, and a conference to an entrepreneur are all important steps towards the ultimate goal.

Sometimes, we mistake someone for the idea that they have succeeded all at once.

However, if you look at the past of these "blockbusters", you will find that they have already laid many solid foundations.

And those who do not have a solid foundation will quickly lose their reputation and be seen as scammers.

Beautiful houses are built brick by brick. Every brick and tile looks insignificant.

In the same way, a successful life is made up of one seemingly indifferent behavior after another.

Get your feet wet:

Keeping this in mind is an essential step in achieving the end goal by setting a goal to achieve, no matter how unimportant it may seem, and evaluate everything you do and everything you do accordingly.

"Will this help me reach my goal?" If the answer is "no", give up right away;

If the answer is "yes", then act now and stay the course.

It is clear that no one can make it to the top in one step.

We can only succeed one step at a time.

A good plan should include a number of specific accountability goals.

Check yourself in and figure out what it takes for you to be successful.

Use the following points as a guide to mark under each topic what you will be doing in the next 30 days.

Then, check in on your progress after 30 days and set another new 30-day goal. Working for the little things all the time will make you end up doing the big things.

30-Day Progress Guide – Between Now and Future:

A. Improve these habits:

1. Postpone doing something;

2. Negative language;

3. Watch TV for 60 minutes a day;

4. Small talk.

B. Develop these habits:

1. Strictly check your own appearance every morning;

2. Plan your work for the next day the night before;

3. Praise others, colleagues or subordinates at every opportunity;

C. Improve my status in the eyes of my boss:

1. Do a better job by developing my subordinates;

2. Learn more about the company's service content and service objects;

3. Make three suggestions every day that will make the company better.

D. Raise my standing in the family:

1. Be more concerned about every little thing your wife does, and don't take everything as it should be and take for granted;

2. Do a special event with the whole family every week;

3. Spend an hour a day at home.

E. Sharpen your mind:

1. Take two hours a week to read professional magazines;

2. Read some self-study books;

3. Make 4 new friends;

4. Set aside 30 minutes a day for quiet, uninterrupted thinking.

The next time you meet someone who is calm, well-dressed, quick-witted, and productive, remind yourself that he wasn't born this way, but that it's the conscious hard work he has made day by day.

Developing a good habit and breaking a bad habit is a long-term process.

Make your first 30-day plan now!

Often, when discussing goal-setting, someone comments:

"I know it's important to work for a certain goal, but there's always something that prevents me from achieving that plan."

Admittedly, there are many things that happen that are difficult to control, and they can affect your goals.

Such things can include serious illness, sudden death of a family member, job loss or traffic accidents, and more.

Therefore, we must keep in mind this: be prepared to take detours.

What would you do if you were driving in a "road ahead" situation? You can't stop there, and you won't drive home again.

Road closures only mean that you can't reach your destination from this road, but you will easily find another way to your destination.

Take a look at the approach of the leadership of the troops.

Whenever they come up with an overall plan for a goal, they make a backup plan at the same time. If something unexpected happens that prevents them from carrying out the original plan, they will implement a backup plan;

When your plane can't land at the airport for some reason, don't be nervous because the crew has already planned another landing location and has enough gasoline.

Hardly anyone will make a name for themselves without any twists and turns, and most people will go through twists and turns.

When we take a detour, we don't need to change the goal, just the way we get there.

Maybe you've heard someone say it many times:

"In ×× 19, it would have been nice if I had bought some kind of stock! If that were the case, I would have made a fortune now. ”

Almost everyone wants to invest in stocks, real estate, etc., but it is not a matter of fact, and it should be recognized that it is their own investment that benefits the most.

An advanced enterprise knows that the scale and strength in 5 years will depend on his actions and investments today, not on his actions and investments in 5 years, and there is only one way to get profits, and that is investment.

This is something that each of us should recognize.

To reap the benefits, we have to invest in ourselves.

To achieve our ultimate goal, we have to invest in advance.

There are two ways to invest yourself that can help us achieve high profits:

Investing in education.

The best investment you can make is in education.

But we have to really understand what education means.

Some people talk about the amount of education they have spent in school, and some people talk about the number of diplomas they have obtained and the level of their degrees.

However, this quantitative education does not necessarily produce successful people.

Here's how the owner of a major electrical appliance company puts his point in the words:

"We have two wonderful CEOs, Mr. Wang Wei and Mr. Kou Zhun, who never went to college. Although many of their current employees have PhDs, most of them do not have a university education. We care about their talents, not their diplomas. ”

It is true that a diploma and a degree can help you get a job, but it does not guarantee that you will succeed in your job. Businesses are concerned with talent, not diplomas.

For others, education is the amount of information stored in a person's brain, but simply memorizing facts won't help you achieve your goals.

We increasingly rely on books, archives, microcomputers and mobile phones to store information.

If we can do what a book, a machine, can do, we're really in trouble.

A real education, the kind of education that is worth investing in, is a well-rounded education that is cultivated in the brain.

The level of education of a person is measured by his thinking ability.

The only way to improve your thinking skills is through investment in education.

There are many ways to get an education, but the most effective education is still the university. Because their mission is to educate.

If you haven't been to college lately, you'll be amazed at the many wonderful things that go out there. You will be thrilled by the richness of the subjects they mention.

You'll also find that many people go to college after going to work. They are not impostors, but real people. Many of them have attained considerable status.

One night, I went to a university and visited a classroom, a class of 25 people, one owner of 12 stores, four engineers, two county officials, and several people of similar ranks.

Today, many people earn their degrees by attending night classes. According to analysis, their certificate is just a blank slate, and obtaining a certificate is by no means the main purpose of their schooling.

They go to school to arm themselves, and that's the right way to invest in a better future.

Of course, education should not be misunderstood. Education should also be economical.

For $3,000, you can attend a one-year, one-week class. Then calculate this percentage of your income and ask yourself, "Isn't my future worth this small investment?" ”

Why not make an investment decision now?

Call it school: one night a week for the rest of your life.

This will make you progress, keep you young forever, and keep you agile and quick.

This will bring you closer to your interests and make life more fun in the midst of busy crowds.

Invest to be a pioneer in the world.

Education can broaden your horizons and thinking, exercise your brain, and improve your ability to face new situations and solve new problems.

Let's do it!

Let me briefly summarize the principles that will bring us success:

1. Be clear about your goals. Be clear about what you will look like in 10 years;

2. Make a 10-year plan. Don't miss any opportunity to make a list of what you want to achieve at work, at home, and in society;

3. Pursue your goals. Gain energy to complete tasks by setting goals and find true joy in life;

4. Make your goal your navigator. Once interested in your goals, you will make the decision to achieve them;

5. Take it one step at a time to achieve your goals. Take every task you want seriously. Although they may seem small, they are both critical steps towards success;

6. Set a 30-day goal. Your day by day will never be in vain;

7. Be prepared to take detours on the way forward;

8. Invest in yourself. Be bold and invest in your education.