Imagine yourself out on the open ocean in a very fast and powerful speedboat. Fifty miles away from you in one direction is an island. On that island is everything you could ever desire, the fulfillment of your most deeply held dreams. And all you need to do is get yourself there. It’s just over the horizon. But which horizon?
The problem is that you have no compass, no GPS, no map, no radio, no telephone, no idea which direction it is to the island. In every other direction are thousands of miles of nothing but ocean. You look out in every direction and all you see are water and sky.
In less than two hours, you could be pulling up to the dock on your dream island. Yet if you go off in the wrong direction, you’ll run out of fuel before you ever reach land.
Living without a well-defined set of goals, without knowing and understanding the purpose of your life, presents you with a similar dilemma. Your dreams are most certainly within your reach, yet to reach them you must know what and where and why they are. You must be able to set your course and maintain that course until you reach them. What, specifically, do you desire for your life and for your world, and why? Just having a vague idea may feel good for the moment, but it won’t enable you to get anywhere.
Be honest with yourself. Be clear and specific about the most fulfilling life you can imagine. Create a map for your life that is as detailed and as accurate as it can be. Then it’s simply a matter of steadily following the course you’ve set.
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