Author and personal finance coach, Usiere Uko, writes on the importance of having clear life goals
We all have desires, hopes and dreams.
Very often, we leave it at the level of wishful thinking. There is no
firm decision to go for it, backed by a plan to achieve it. Beyond a
vague notion of making enough money to meet our needs, very few aim
higher. An average employee or businessman does the same thing over and
over again without a plan to step up their game. They attempt to rise
higher using yesterday’s skill set. When things do not seem to improve,
they work harder, pray harder and look for help outside. More often than
not, there is no clear goal. Survival is the name of the game, but
there is no serious thought towards the purpose for survival.
The average person does not know who he
is, what he wants, and how he intends to go about it. There is no clear
picture of a desired future. The picture of the future is based on what
the environment mirrors. Success is defined from without rather than
from within. Many do not own their careers. They simply run with the
herd, comparing themselves with themselves. A typical businessman is in
it for the money. There is no drive for innovation, big dreams and
audacious goals. Every year looks the same as the passing year, the
common theme being the struggle for survival.
You have to change if you want to grow
You cannot grow if you do not change.
Chances are that your current skill set has brought you as far as it
can. If you were in a public bus, the driver or conductor would ask you
to come down from the bus – you have reached your last bus stop. To go
further, you need to pay more money. In personal growth and development
terms, you need fresh effort to upgrade yourself so that you can go
further. School is never out for someone who is moving forward towards a
goal.
Between where you are and where you want
to go is a skill gap. That skill is standing between you and your goal.
In order to attain that goal, you need to acquire that skill. You need
to pay the price.
You cannot improve your finances
sustainably by applying your current financial management skills with an
occasional dose of financial advice, outsourcing your financial
education to experts. You need to be on top of your game through ongoing
financial education. Your current financial management skill set has
brought you as far as it can go. That is why further learning is
crucial. Ignorance is much more expensive that education. When it comes
to health, it can be fatal.
If you are not growing, you are moving
backwards. You are essentially dying slowly. I remember an experience I
often had on the 3rd Mainland Bridge during my years of daily commute
from the mainland to the Island. Some days the traffic is so bad there
is a complete standstill on the bridge. Then suddenly, the lane next to
me starts to move forward. Momentarily, I am seized with panic because
my car seems to be moving backwards. I get scared that I may hit the car
behind me. Within seconds, I finally comprehend what is going on. My
lane is stationary while the next lane is moving, so relatively it seems
as if the next lane is stationary while I am moving backwards. If
everyone is moving forward and you are stationary, you are in effect
moving backwards – you are being left behind. If you remain stationary,
soon you will not see the brake lights of cars you were once at par
with.
What is your destination?
If you do not know who you are and where
you are going, you will wander aimlessly in the wilderness looking for
money. The fact is that there is money everywhere. There is no
legitimate field of human endeavour that you cannot become a
multi-millionaire or billionaire if you pay the price to get to the top.
The challenge is; we are looking for instant gratification. If
something does not produce money immediately, we quickly jump to where
we think results will be quicker. This is why we run from pillar to post
looking for money. This is a sign of someone who is clueless as to
where he or she is going.
Stop and think for a moment. Would you go
to the international airport with bags packed for travelling and enough
money for air fare without a clear idea where you are going? Would you
board a flight heading somewhere else simply because you are tired of
waiting for your flight? Would you meet a friend, ask where she is going
and then change your destination so that you can go together? Would you
step up to the counter and stammer in confusion when asked where you
are going?
If we can plan a flight with such
precision, then how come we are clueless when it comes to our life? How
come we wander aimlessly in search of money when we can have money and
fulfillment by following our dreams? Who sold us the lie that following
our dream does not pay ultimately?
What is your vision of success?
If you don’t know where you are going,
how do you know when you get there? If failure was nonexistent, what
would you do with your life? Beyond survival, where do you want to go
from here?
What do you need to do to get there?
If do not know what you really want, how
can you plan and execute what you are clueless about? How would you know
what books to read, what seminars or courses to attend, what friends to
keep, what skills to acquire if you have no clue who you are and where
you are going? How do you make every day count if there are no action
items in alignment with your vision? If you have no vision of success,
how do you measure progress on the road to nowhere? How do you know when
you have arrived?
How do you plan your personal growth and
development when the mission is unclear? Apart from food and shelter,
what is your life about? Where do you see yourself in the next five, 10,
20 years? What is your end game? Why are you in that business? Why are
you holding onto that job? What makes you happy? What are you passionate
about? What contribution do you want to make? When your life is over
and you can look back, what legacy do you want to leave?
If you are not willing to pay the price
to answer these questions, you may remain stuck in your
comfort zone, making excuses for mediocrity rather than paying the price
to attain your utmost potential. When you come to the end of your days,
will you be fulfilled that you gave your all or keep wondering how your
life would have turned out if you were bold enough to give it your best
shot?
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