Setting a financial goal goes hand-in-hand with financial success. One of the most powerful tools available to anyone is natural human focus. The Great Wall of China wasn’t built by a few unfocused people that wanted to make a big wall; there was a goal in mind.
The average person is disconnected from their ability to create a vision and then immediately begin taking the action necessary to make that vision a reality. They’re watching too much TV, saving money at a snail’s pace and repeating the cycle on a daily basis. To them, being a millionaire is all about luck. It’s not about the constant process of self-refinement, growth and adaptation; they need a lotto ticket instead.
Having a goal is a perfect way around the deathtrap that has been created by modern society. Instead of feeling defeated and asking whether or not financial success is possible, a goal will turn the focus of a person’s mind towards action. At this very moment, someone out there is working their damnedest to shave one second off of their mile. They don’t do it because they wanted to run that much faster; they do it because it’s just another step along the path of their growth. Their goal might be to run a marathon, improve their cardiovascular health or to shed unwanted pounds. The result is simply a signpost towards their desires. It’s in this understanding that the true nature of the goal begins to reveal itself.
As Bruce Lee put it, “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” Setting a goal is like throwing a grappling hook into the future. By understanding that our actions create the world we live in, we can use them to pull ourselves towards the goal we set. We move through time and space with the momentum of our decisions, commitments and actions. A goal unifies these for a common purpose. With a great financial goal, people must start saving money, choosing their purchases wisely and thinking about the value of their time. Without that, they’re at the mercy of human impulse. They place their future in the hands of others.
