Who's A The Helm?

"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams."

— Og Mandino,author, The Greatest Salesman in the World

There is a very old story of a man who had a dream of one day skippering his own ship and sailing her around the world. At long last, he put his dream into action by spending every last penny he has buying a sailing vessel and manning it with an experienced crew.

As the ship is leaving port, he is amazed at the amount of work needed to get the massive craft underway and to maneuver her safely out of the port. His ignorance of the workings of such a vessel compels him to simply leave it all to the crew as he sits back and watches it happen. Later on, after they have safely made it out into open water and the hustle of the crew has settled down, he has a chance to learn more about the workings of the crew and ship and even provide some input. As he does, he comes across a man mopping the salt water off the deck. He says to the crewman, "Never you mind that job. We're at open sea. Relax and enjoy the fresh air." He then observes a man at a large wheel, turning it slightly in one direction and then the other. He asks one of the other crewmen, "Who is that man and what is he doing?"

"Why he is the helmsman, sir, and he is steering the ship."

"Steering the ship?" he exclaims to the crewman. "We're in open waters. There's no need to steer the ship right now. When we see land or another ship, then he can go back to steering. Tell him to relax and enjoy the fresh air." As the story goes, only a few survived the wreck that ensued.

Why do we need to set goals in the first place? Shouldn't it be enough to trust our innate ambition and desire to grow and learn in navigating us toward a better life, a more successful career or the relationship we desire? After all, those desires and dreams are goals in and of themselves, aren't they?

Goals are a direct reflection of what we want in life — our desired outcome for any given situation. Can you imagine, for example, walking into a bank, waiting in line, getting in front of the teller and then not knowing your purpose for being there? Was your objective to make a deposit or a withdrawal, to inquire about a loan, or to ask the teller out for coffee? We don't generally think of our daily tasks as such, but even the simplest things we do during the day are based on some form of intended outcome or purpose. We get into our car in the morning and go to work. Why?

Why do we get out of bed, change our clothes, battle traffic, and drive to work five or more days every week? The answer is simple. We have a "goal" to pay the mortgage or rent every month, to purchase groceries, to buy a new pair of shoes, to take someone special out this weekend, or any number of other things or activities that our paycheck helps us achieve.

You may not identify those things as goals in the traditional sense, but according to the definition, they are goals nonetheless.

Goal[gole] noun - The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.

* Why are you reading this book?

* Do you have a goal, objective, or intention for reading it?

* What do you hope to get out of it?

* What is your desired outcome?

Once you have identified a specific intention or desired outcome for a specific action — in this case, reading this book — you have taken a huge step toward making that intention a reality.

So have you thought about it? If not, now might be a good time. Since this program is all about creating achievable outcomes and then achieving them, let's begin the process right now.

Before you go any further, I would like you to take exactly one minute and clearly identify three specific things that you would like to get from this program. Then, write them on a clean piece of paper or, better still, in a notebook that you can use for all of the notes and exercises in this book. Think of it as your 7 RULES success journal.

So what are three things you would like to get from reading — or rather participating in — this book? What is something you would like to learn? Something you would like to be able to do, or perhaps something you would like to teach or share with others as a result of this program? Take a moment to identify your three desired outcomes. Do that right now.

Not all goals and desires are driven by the same thing. Some are driven by our conscious desires, wants, or needs. They go beyond our survival needs for food, shelter, a sense of security and, I dare say, sex. Our conscious desires are the things we want, the things that add joy, pride, or fun to our lives. They are the things that better us or keep us from getting any worse off.

We are always either moving toward something we desire or moving away from something we don't want in our life. Quite often, which direction we are moving is only a matter of perspective or how we frame it.

The goal of finding a new job or pursuing a new career, for example, could be based on one of two perspectives:

1. You can be moving toward a new job with better pay and more benefits.

2. Or you can be moving away from a crappy, dead-end job with little pay and no bennies.

Sometimes we do both. We can simultaneously be moving toward something we want or desire and, at the same time, be moving away from something we fear or dislike. Too often, however, we're not moving at all.

Can we know...