“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought.” – As A Man Thinketh
How many times have you heard the expression that most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their life. I would expand that expression by adding that most people spend more time “thinking” about their vacation than they do thinking about what’s important in their life.
The power of “definitely directed thought” (the power of purpose) is why I love the story of John Goddard so much.
When he was fifteen-years-old, Goddard was inspired to create a list of 127 “life goals.” By on count, the “young seventy-something” has accomplished 109 of those Plus 300 others he set along the way!!
Here’s just a few of the ones he’s reached:
He climbed the Matterhorn, Ararat, Kilimanjaro, Fiji, Rainier and the Grand Tetons.
He retraced the route of Marco Polo through all of the Middle East, Asia and China and was the first man to explore the whole length of the world’s longest river, the Nile. He also boated down the Amazon, Congo and others.
He has been to 120 countries, explored the underwater reefs of Florida, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Red Sea, visited the Great Wall of China, the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, and the Everglades of Florida.
He has flown 47 different types of aircraft, and set several civilian air-speed records including one at 1,500 miles an hour. He flew an F-106 to an altitude of 63,000 feet, making him the only civilian to pilot an aircraft that high, a record which he still holds.
And I’m just getting started. But I think you get the point.
Okay, maybe it’s been awhile since you were fifteen, and maybe coming up with 127 life goals is a bit intimidating at this point. But how about 10? How much would the quality of your life improve if you accomplished just one life goal in each of the next ten years?
You won’t ever know if you don’t start now — and you don’t ‘Write’ them down.
More than just one of the greatest adventurers the world has ever known, Goddard is an incredibly wise person, as this quote of his demonstrates: “If you really know what you want out of life, it’s amazing how opportunities will come to enable you to carry them out.”
And that’s worth thinking about.
(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen )
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Vic Johnson is a popular motivational speaker, author and Internet Infopreneur who has created some of the most visited personal development sites on the Web. His flagship site AsAManThinketh.net has given away over 200,000 eBook copies of James Allen’s success classic.
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