Defining the Goal

Now it’s time for us to be able to understand what our goal looks like. I hope you’ve been writing everything down and keeping track of who goes with you to your goal, what goes with you to your goal and something new for you to keep an eye on what and who do you pick up along the way to your goal.

The first step in knowing where you want to go is to know where you are right now.  This is where the lists and notes you have been taking throughout this book come in handy.

You can be different and live in a cave and wear an old monk’s robe and not do anything. You could also be a lottery winner. How often does that happen?  Back to reality?  OK.

The first thing we need to do is help you find out where you want to be, and then we want to work on how to get you there.

Remember, it does not matter how outrageous or costly or in need of education or any other impediment might stand in your way. This is just establishing what you would really like to do. The mere fact of writing it down sets you on the journey. It does not guarantee you anything. It is just a start.

If you are not sure, you can find a short quiz to take online.  There are many free on the internet.  The one I like, and which is free and given to you by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education is called my next move. The web link to it www.mynextmove.org.

You can also check at local colleges, and other organizations in your area to see if the Myers-Briggs test is given anywhere. The Myers-Briggs might be given free by some organizations, and other organizations may want to charge a small fee to administer it. Look around and find your best bargain. Or, look for a free test online. Just be careful, some websites will give you the test and then want you to pay for results. I wouldn’t do that.

If you are not sure what you want to do, and you take some of these tests, they should point you in some pretty good directions. If you take the test, and you still are not sure of what you want to do, don’t worry.  Some of my best friends are over 39, and still trying to figure out what they want to do in life. And, they’re good people, and I know that someday they will figure that out. Do the best you can with where you are and what you have.

One thing I should warn you about so that it doesn’t happen you as it has to so many people. Some people (and I have done this before) don’t figure out what they really want to do. They want to do everything.  Rather than being happy with one goal and one direction, some people are always running around looking. Every time they hear something new from somebody, they are off trying it.

It’s interesting to see new ways of doing things, and it’s fun. It is also, sometimes, very costly and leaves people empty. Why is that? Because they’re looking in the wrong direction for the answer.  Nobody knows you better than you do.  Most of what’s going to motivate you, and make you work do not live in some webinar somewhere, it lives inside of you.

You are the person in control.  You must live with whatever your decision brings. Paying others to tell you about ideas or having others do everything for you is not very helpful.

It is good to take classes and learn things. When you pick something you want to be, do your research and make sure this is the path and the goal you truly want. A little research up front may save you from some real future mistakes.

I know this looks like a lot to do today.  Look into the ideas and consider your options.  Tomorrow we will start to draw the map to the goal.

Have a great day.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof