What about goals?

[This guy Honman sees goal setting as a Necessity:]
"We need a destination before we can set off towards our destination. We need a purpose in our life to be meaningful, something that said: 'My presence will make the difference!' or "'I will make others life better.' ...Drawing a plan that includes your goals and aspirations will give you a clear direction in life. People who drift through life without a plan feel helpless and powerless. When you have a goal, you are driven towards success. .... ....
[He uses the following example:]
A class of Harvard students...were asked what...goals they had for their future. Only 3% of them had clear goals while the others were not sure about what they were going to do. After they had graduated for ten years, the 3% that had clear goals made more money than the total amount of the other 97%. "
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Article Source:http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/46889.html

[Roazzi has a different take, finding 5 things wrong with goal setting.:]
"Unfortunately, ...goal-setting strategies don't work. In fact, today's goal-setting strategies do more to inhibit the advancement of your goal than to promote the realization of it.
[1.validity?] [Today very few people question the validity of goal setting]. The goal-setting strategists have their facts and figures, and most of the formulas often quote [the] now familiar study [cited in the above article] to validate the importance of goals.... There was only one problem with this amazing...study-it never happened! (Fast Company magazine, Dec/Jan 1997) Yale University has no record of any such study being done.
[2.Inflexibility:] Its not so much having a goal that is the problem, but the meaning today's goal-setting strategists have given to the word "goal". .... One of the problems is that goal-setting strategies do not allow for flexibility..... ...you don't always end up where you had planned. ....
[3.Negativity] Another problem with goal setting is that every time you focus on your goal, ..., you come face to face with the fact that you don't have it. This inadvertently conjures up all the power of negative thinking. ...if your focus is on failure, it's not surprising that you are unlikely to achieve your goal.
[4.Ego and fear:]. ...Focusing on what your ego wants, on your goal, creates fear--the fear of not achieving it. ... And even if you do accomplish your goal, what will naturally continue is the fear...of losing it. ....
[5.Self-centered:] The goal setting strategies today teach that when a person sets a goal, he or she should begin by deciding what they want (desire) and then figure out how to get it (thought). ... [and] the goals are usually self-centered and egotistical. ....In formulating an objective, the thought comes first, and then you back it up with emotion (desire). ..... The thoughts by which you establish your objective begin with the good you can bring to other people, the world, or the marketplace. .... Establishing objectives allows for flexibility and, more importantly, the focus is on helping others. If you have an end result that helps people, in the end you will be helped. ...."
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From "The Spirituality of Success" Newsletter, a free monthly ezine published by Vincent Roazzi, author of the best-selling and award winning book, "The Spirituality of Success: Getting Rich with Integrity" (See below).  For more information visit  http://www.spiritualityofsuccess.com

Let's take Roazzi's last point--the source of goals vs. the source of objectives. As a writer, if I had decided early on that my goal was to make a lot of money as writer, I would probably have written a sleazy thriller of some sort which was sure to become a best seller based on content and then set intermediate sales goals. However, instead of this, right from the start, I defined my objective (or could you as well call this a goal, though a different sort of goal-? Perhaps Roazzi's last argument is simply a matter of purpose and terminology.) At any rate, I defined my goal or, to use Roazzi's terminology, my objective as to reach people (as many as possible) with the gospel message while entertaining them through my fiction writing. Well, I must admit that it came originally from thought and developed into desire, so, in that sense, perhaps Roazzi is right. I thought about how to reach the most people possible, decided upon fiction as the vehicle and then desired to achieve what I had thought. So I guess it really was an objective and not a goal. Yet, I could have still set some short range goals along the way.
I did manage to get 2 novels published, which might be considered by some to be a success--(as it's more than some people do, I suppose). However they did not do well. Thus, I could be disappointed, but if money had been my goal I would be doubly disappointed. Yet, though money was not my original goal, the thought of it did creep in at times. But also there is the fact that, aside from the money I didn't make, I failed to reach a wide audience because my novels didn't sell well and thus my objective (or goal--?) of reaching many people had failed to be met. Yet, one never knows how much good one does until the end. Perhaps one of the few people who bought my book saw the light and became saved through it (I shall find out in eternity). If this be the case, can I still consider myself a failure? At least my objective--to reach as many as possible--had been met to some degree, and perhaps that was all that was possible, so in that sense it had been fully reached. -- Something to think about.
---James M. Becher

".... Scripture shows us that much of success begins
with proper goal setting. .... What is meant by "goal"? It is a purpose, aim, or sense of direction toward which we move all our energy, desire and effort. A high priority goal will motivate, gearing our entire life toward its accomplishment. Throughout Scripture, God gave His followers a specific purpose. [He uses Noah and David as Old Testament examples.]
.... One of the most goal oriented people in the Bible is the highly motivated apostle Paul. Not one to waste time, he had an overwhelming sense of purpose, direction and commitment. ....
Despite the fact that Paul vigorously pursued his goal, he wrote about the importance of learning contentment (Philip. 4:11-13). At first glance this passage may sound contradictory to the idea of reaching a goal--does this mean I am to settle for less than I am capable of achieving? No, ...It is quite possible for me to be extremely contented with what is mine at the present moment even while I am in the process of seeking, searching and moving toward particular goals that God has for me. .... .... When your purpose and priorities are in line with God's and you set goals accordingly, He will do absolutely amazing things in your life."
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From the May 2004 issue of "In Touch" a monthly devotional magazine published by "In Touch ministries", Charles F. Stanly, President and publisher

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