6A Goal Is a Commitment with a Deadline
Step 3: A Starting Date and a Completion Date
Goals are not a “someday” proposition. “Someday” never arrives. A “someday” approach will only push your goals further away, leaving you looking back at your life with regret. During one incredible presentation that I heard years ago, the speaker stressed how important it was to assign each and every goal a “beginning” and an “ending” date. One of my favorite quotes is by Joe Cwik: “A goal is a commitment with a deadline.” In my opinion, Joe's simple statement is a bit of profound knowledge that you need to absorb. How many of your goals have turned into “wishes” simply because you haven't held yourself accountable to a completion date?
The great speakers at Southwestern had convinced me that without the pressure of a deadline, I would make excuses about why my goals were not achieved. How many times do we let the negative side of our thinking help us rationalize failure? I really don't need the bigger house right now, because it isn't that important. I'll start working out and eating right next month. I'll start saving money next year. Statements like these should serve as an early warning sign that you are heading toward failure. Someday never gets here in time. It's human nature to avoid pressure.
When you associate a deadline ...
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