In the nineteenth century, economist Vilfredo Pareto discovered that eighty percent of the land in Italy then was owned by twenty percent of the population. Mr. Pareto identifies a few other examples that could apply to this pattern. He then propounded what has become known as the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule: given a large number of items, a high percentage of the value of the items (80%) is relatively concentrated in a relative few of the items (20%).
Although this rule may not be absolute, I have a strong belief that it can be applied to virtually every area of human endeavor.
Think about it. It is only twenty percent of the population who are sharing among themselves the eighty- percent resources in this land, while the rest eighty percent of the people have to share the twenty- percent crumbs that remained. So it is in every land.
These twenty- percent of people are the rich few. When one looks closely at the 80/20 rule it does appear that this world we all live in is not a fair place. But the cheering news is that either you belong to the exclusive twenty percent group who has the eighty percent resources or the crowded eighty percent of people who scrabble for the twenty percent resources, it is a matter of choice. Some time ago when this truth hits me, I decided to quit eighty- percent of the people sharing twenty percent of the resources group. I don’t want to hear of it again because I desperately want to move up to the exclusive club of the stupendously wealthy group. So I began to search for distinctions that I can use to move myself up. It was during the intense search that I came about the secret that I want to put in your hands today. This is the secret that the twenty- percent of people who control the resources have been using. As I give it to you today, you must promise me that you will get yourself to put it to use so that all my efforts will not be in vain.
This moving towards distinction is what we called outcome design or if you like; GOAL SETTING. Isn’t that simple? Well, it may look very simple to you but by the time you build this habit of goal setting in your life, it will amaze you how rich your life will become.
You see, our lives are shaped by a certain event that happens to us. Sometimes ago I read about a young man who was caught in a crime. When asked why he took to a crime he said it is because his parents died while he was schooling and because there was no one to send him to school, that is why he joined a gang of criminals. Foul. Whereas that is exactly what happened to so many leading lights in history who used such momentous events as an impetus to archive astounding success out of life. People who could not archive their goals in life are stopped by frustration. Yet when you meet wealthy people they will tell you frustration is the juice they drink every day.
You see, of all the principles that you can use to shape your life none has the most profound power as your ability to clearly envision your future and carefully set goals on how to archive your vision in life. When you set goals and put together a strategic plan to reach them, you are on your way to grow up and become a member of that exclusive group of the twenty percent that control the resources.
By the way, what is a goal? A goal is a statement of the ultimate end towards which a person-directed all his activities. Put in another way, we can say a goal is a deliberately selected result towards which you chose to channel all your energies. A goal is like a harbor where a captain directs his ship as Serena observed “when a man does not know what harbor he is making for no wind is the right wind”
You see, to have a vision in life is great but having a vision is not enough. You would need to write down a clearly formulated plan to achieve your vision. This suggests to me that the most important habit you can cultivate right now is the habit of setting goals for every area of your life.
For example, if you want to build a house, you need a master plan on how all the various resources will be combined to make your building a magnificent edifice.
Until you become a student of the art and science of goal setting, you will not be able to maximize your potential in life. The mastery of goals setting will begin to have a profound effect on the quality of your life soon as you begin to develop the habit.
Your capacity to wholly plow your resources towards reaching a goal is your cutting edge for stupendously wealth in life.
Let me tell you about an exciting study that was carried out about the 1953 graduates of Yale University in the United States of America.
An interview was conducted and each of the graduates was asked if they have a set of goals written down with a step by step plan to actualize it. Only three percent of them have written goals. Twenty years down the road in 1973 the interviewer went round to interview the surviving member of the 1953 group. It was quite amazing that the three percent that has written down goals were worth more in monetary terms than the ninety-seven percent that do not write down their goals. Besides, the interviewer equally discovers that the three percent have far more joy and happiness in their lives more than the ninety-seven percent who do not have written down goals. What does this tells you, it means you are not just expected to scrape by in life but you can design the kind of life you want to live and live it out. This is living your life intentionally.
Before you continue to read, I want you to go and get four sheets of paper and a pen. Go and get them before you read on. I really want to help you. I also want you to relax your mind as I take you through this simple workshop of goal setting.
With your pen in your hand, I want you to begin to write down everything you want to accomplish in 2020. Be like a kid; write down everything you wanted to be. Just write everything that comes into your mind. Keep writing non-stop for the next twenty minutes. Don’t worry about how to achieve those things you’re writing. Just keep writing everything you had ever thought of doing with your life. Write down everything – the amount of money you think will be enough to meet all your needs. Write down the kind of relationship you want to have, the kind of car you want to drive, the kind house you want to live, the kind of cloth you want to wear. Please play around everything and anything. The key is that you play around everything that comes into your mind like a kid would ask anything and gets it. Throw away every limitation that comes into your mind.
Have you finished pouring out your entire mind on the pages of that paper? If you have done that then let’s move to the next stage.
The next step is now for you to rearrange everything you’ve written down in the order of their importance.
The third step is for you to pick the three most important goals in your list, which you must achieve in 2020. Now take about five minutes to think intensely that you have achieved the three goals that you have picked. Let me ask you a simple question. How do you feel when you think about the three goals? How does it taste? Now separate each of the three goals into the different papers. And under each sheet write down three important reasons why you must archive each of them unfailingly this year.
The truth is that if you can find enough reason why you should achieve a goal you will find a way of archiving it. And if you really want something in your life you will do whatever it takes to get it.
Fourthly, break down each of your goals into smaller units and give each of them a completion date. Then commit yourself unswervingly to the attainment of each goal. Do something every day about your goals until you archive them. The key to reaching your goals is to commit yourself to personal development
You will only be fulfilled in life when you set for yourself challenging goals. Goals that will get you up very early in the morning and goals that will keep you up late into the night? Goals that will make you muster all your energies and resources to bring them to fulfillment.
The angels are still in the whirlwinds.
Thank you for allowing me to share my candid thoughts with you today. You are not born to suffer, there is a seed of greatness within you. Only you can make your life a masterpiece. You have an option, either you sit down and bemoan your fate saying nothing is working in Nigeria or use your mind to design a workable plan and go live your life intentionally. The choice is yours. Thank you and God bless you. God bless Nigeria. Happy new year
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