by : Bob Pearce

When we are young, and every hour of our time is important, our environment has a large effect upon us, and helps to set our course in life, or our goals. Those things which we have not had become more important to us than the things we have had, or experienced. Those who succeed have developed a burning desire to do so, despite all handicaps. They know exactly what they want. They think about it constantly and it drives them throughout every day. They have a vision, a dream, or a goal, invisible to everyone but those holding it, and it is responsible for every great advance or achievement of mankind.

It is said that anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. We become what we think about, and when we think about an exciting goal, we can reach it. A goal is an individual thing, as individual as the person themselves. A goal can be many things - material wealth, sporting prowess, teaching success, joy and satisfaction from helping others - there are millions of different goals, all worthy in their own right. One thing a goal must do is to fill us with positive emotion when we think about it. It must be something we badly want to bring about. The more intensely we feel about it or think about it, the greater it will become buried in our subconscious, and we will be directed towards it.

Whatever our goal happens to be, if we stay with it, and remain fully committed to it, we WILL reach it. It is estimated that only about 5% of the population achieve unusual success, attributable to their own efforts. Those 5%, who have taken the time and exercised the discipline to drive their own lives in the direction of their chosen goal, will progressively reach each step towards it, and accomplish more in a few years than most achieve in a lifetime.
The better, the more clearly our goal is defined, the more real it becomes to us, and more attainable. WRITE down everything you can think of that you would really like to see come about in your life. Then go over the list and NUMBER the items in order of preference. Then MAKE the one at the top of your list your first goal. Think about it, concentrate on it and you will become what you think about. The thinking must be orderly and clear, and if the goal is important enough for you to reach, the reach it you will.

One goal at a time, that is very important. Most people unwittingly don't concentrate on a single goal long enough to reach it before they are off on another track that confuses them and they start making excuses as to why they have not achieved something. So DECIDE upon your goal. THINK about it every morning and night, and as often during the day as you conveniently can. By doing this you will actually begin moving towards it and bringing it closer. When you CONCENTRATE your thinking and ACHIEVE one goal, it becomes a HABIT that will take you from one SUCCESS to another throughout your life.