By Tope Babatope
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If you ask most people what is their one major objective in life, they would probably give you a vague answer, such as, ‘l want to be successful, be happy, make a good living’,and that is it. Those are all wishes and none of them are clear goals.

People confuse goals with dreams and wishes. Dreams and wishes are nothing more than desires. Desires are weak. Desires become strong when they are supported by: Direction, Dedication, Determination, Discipline and Deadlines. These are what differentiate a desire from a goal. Goals are dreams with a deadline and an action plan. Goals can be worthy or unworthy. It is passion, not wishing that turns dreams into reality.

You can move your dreams into goals by imagining that you are climbing a mountain . Your dream is the summit. Every good mountain climber starts out on his journey with his mind focused on the summit. Every step forward, every pull of the rope, and even every pause to regain energy is executed by focusing on his goal. Once he reaches the top, he takes a moment to rest, regroup, refuel, and relish in his victory. But every true climber knows that this is just another leg of the bigger journey. Reaching one summit can never be it for the true climber- each time that he pushes his lungs harder, climbs higher, and scales an even more dangerous rock, he knows that it’s just preparation for the next journey.

Where ever you are on the mountain- the top, the bottom, midway up, at the rest stop, at the first – aid station, or even poised to stick the flag in the summit- trust and believe that l have been at all those places in my life. I have been at the rescue station, the first-aid station. I have been halfway up and fallen all the way back down. I have been caught in a cave. l have fallen in between the cracks and crevices of the mountain. I have been trapped on the mountain. I have been covered by avalanche on the mountain . You name it, on this mountain, l have done it all. I have been told to not even bother climbing because, they said, l didn’t have what it takes to make the climb.

At this juncture it is necessary to start thinking of your goals as your personal climb to the top of your dream mountain. You can’t just expect to wake up tomorrow and become a millionaire, or have your product be a worldwide sensation over-night, or get the position you have been coveting. What goals are you willing to put in place to make your dreams come true?

On the success journey, the goals you set become your route. And to make progress, you need that – not because you are hoping or expecting to reach some final destination ,  but because it shows you how to take the journey. On the success journey, the first part of the trip is just as important as the last last trip.

The main thing is to be constantly moving toward your destination . And setting goals is the best way to make sure that continues to happen.