A dream, a wish, and a goal walk into a diner. The dream says:
“I’d love to have a big juicy cheeseburger and a side of hand-cut fries. Like in the Jimmy Buffet song. Man, wouldn’t than be awesome.“
The wish says: “That would be great. I wish I could have a cheeseburger. Maybe someday.“
The goal says: “I’m going to get a burger and fries. You guys want anything?“
A dream is what happens when you close your eyes – a goal is what happens when you open them.
The new year is just around the corner – and you know what that means. New Year’s resolutions. Now, you and I both know they are a sham. Let’s see, we’ll lose weight, quit [enter vice here], and finally do something about following our passion. After 2 weeks, the resolutions will peter out, and everything will return to “normal.”
So here’s what I propose. Don’t make any resolutions this year. Instead, on January 15th, or February 1st, or some other arbitrary day, set some real goals. Write down some honest-to-goodness goals that you will commit to achieving, and then take a small action to move them forward. Notice the two key points:
- Write them down, and
- Take some action
In order for a dream or a wish to become a reality, it needs to evolve into a goal – something measurable, and actionable. It can be lofty – no one ever made it to the moon reaching for the dirt. But you have to have some passion behind it.
You know what you want. You know why you want it. Now just decide when, and let’s light this candle. 2007 can be the year of you. Or you can keep wishing and dreaming. It all starts with a decision – what’s yours going to be?
Holiday Bonus – Updated: I’ll send a $10 Amazon gift certificate by email to the first one to correctly identify the movie reference in the cartoon.
Wow, that was fast! The winner is Griffin from Mo’ Bettah Marketing, with the correct answer – the singing and guitar playing burger (jamming to Van Halen, no less) in “Better Off Dead.” One of the finest cinematic masterpieces to grace the screen – IMHO.
Holiday Bonus 2: Make your own cheeseburger in paradise.
Better Off Dead is the reference for the pic…another great post!
Hey Griffin – Thanks, and congrats. I’ll send your gift certificate out to the address you left with the comment. If you want it sent to a different address, just drop me a note on the “Contact” page.
Brilliant idea, Tony!
I already decided: my goal setting day will be January 14.
Thanks, Grigor – and good for you. Glad to hear you’re setting some goals, not spouting resolutions 😉
My day is going to be my birthday. I figure that’s my personal new year, the day I started a new life. I’m already looking back, so I may as well look forward, too.
Great choice, Rick – that’s an excellent idea. I might have to borrow that idea 🙂
Kudos for a GREAT site and post. It reminds me of two statements I’ve heard over the years: – A fantasy is something you think you can have without changing and a goal is a dream with a date on it.
Thanks, Steve. I really like those statements – they sum up everything nicely.