TheSingularity
Guest
Hello my dear esteemed fellows,
How are you all faring these days? It has most certainly been a long time since I last posted a thread on these forums but as ever it is my great pleasure to see these forums thrive just as before. I write this thread as a sort of motivational and advice-offering one. I would like you to read the article that follows on the importance of future goals and please consider some of these ideas....
FUTURE GOALS
By TheSingularity
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach” – a famous quote by the well-known polymath and the Founding Father of The United States, Benjamin Franklin. Yet, is this true? Can having no goal be labelled a ‘tragedy’? Of course all animals, including us, have the basic goal of survival – but what about a greater goal? What quality is it that separates us from other animals? Some might argue that the quality is intelligence, but anyone who knows a bit about biology knows that pigeons can memorize images, rats can solve puzzles and common houseflies can master evasion techniques that we humans can only dream of. So again, what is it that separates us humans from them?
Teenagers and young adults all around our globe complain about sheer boredom and generally having ‘nothing to do’. Despite the numerous social media apps, the chat rooms and *******, this boredom does not go away – it is as persistent as a fly intent on food. Why is this the case? There must be something fundamental missing from our lives, correct? Well, that fundamental ‘something’ is that the majority of teenagers lack, at the present, is a long-term future goal. In fact, a 2009 Stanford Study involving 237 young people showed that merely 17 percent of high school freshman have a sense of purpose, and just 23 percent of the seniors did. One needs a goal – a higher purpose, a direction and a reason to live for. Instead of looking up Instagram or Facebook – all of which scarcely alleviates one’s boredom – why not explore different sciences, arts, skills and technology? Science directs us towards the greater goal of the greater truth. Arts directs us towards the greater goal of elegance. Technology and skills directs us towards the greater goal of practicality. They may seem boring at first, but isn’t it rather unfair to label these passions ‘boring’ without even exploring them in depth?
A Harvard MBA Study in 1979 revealed that only 3 percent of the graduate students had written goals and plans 13 percent had non-written goals. The rest of the 84 percent? The poll showed they had no goals at all. Ten years later, these students were interviewed again, and guess what? The 13 percent who had non-written goals were actually earning twice as much in comparison to the 84 percent who had no goals at all. Meanwhile, the 3 percent with written goals were earning ten times more than the collective 97 percent. What can we conclude from these studies? We may deduce from these results that setting goals, any future goal, can make all the difference in the world as far as success is concerned.
Take Einstein, take Steve Jobs, and take Bill Gates – what endeavor did they all share in common that propelled their success? A greater goal. From the above discussion it is as prudent as is worthwhile to deduce that when one has a goal, they have some higher purpose to look forward to. Their life is filled meaning and purpose. To achieve something of value, one has to prepare for it and the starting point of all that is setting a grand objective – something to be worked towards throughout the entirety of your life. The goal can be anything, be it setting up a company, finding the truth about our very origins or opening a beauty parlor – the important point to note is that one must have deep passion for that objective. One must be prepared to sacrifice their nights for that goal. One must be prepared to devote their lifetime to the goal. One must be prepared to face any turbulence that pops up throughout the journey of pursuing that one goal. Only then would you achieve a feeling of purpose and meaning, only then would you near the horizon of success and respect, and only then you would lead a happy life. In fact, Albert Einstein once said: “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things”. So back to our original question: what is it that separates us humans from the tidal wave of animals? The answer is: a greater goal.
How are you all faring these days? It has most certainly been a long time since I last posted a thread on these forums but as ever it is my great pleasure to see these forums thrive just as before. I write this thread as a sort of motivational and advice-offering one. I would like you to read the article that follows on the importance of future goals and please consider some of these ideas....
FUTURE GOALS
By TheSingularity
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach” – a famous quote by the well-known polymath and the Founding Father of The United States, Benjamin Franklin. Yet, is this true? Can having no goal be labelled a ‘tragedy’? Of course all animals, including us, have the basic goal of survival – but what about a greater goal? What quality is it that separates us from other animals? Some might argue that the quality is intelligence, but anyone who knows a bit about biology knows that pigeons can memorize images, rats can solve puzzles and common houseflies can master evasion techniques that we humans can only dream of. So again, what is it that separates us humans from them?
Teenagers and young adults all around our globe complain about sheer boredom and generally having ‘nothing to do’. Despite the numerous social media apps, the chat rooms and *******, this boredom does not go away – it is as persistent as a fly intent on food. Why is this the case? There must be something fundamental missing from our lives, correct? Well, that fundamental ‘something’ is that the majority of teenagers lack, at the present, is a long-term future goal. In fact, a 2009 Stanford Study involving 237 young people showed that merely 17 percent of high school freshman have a sense of purpose, and just 23 percent of the seniors did. One needs a goal – a higher purpose, a direction and a reason to live for. Instead of looking up Instagram or Facebook – all of which scarcely alleviates one’s boredom – why not explore different sciences, arts, skills and technology? Science directs us towards the greater goal of the greater truth. Arts directs us towards the greater goal of elegance. Technology and skills directs us towards the greater goal of practicality. They may seem boring at first, but isn’t it rather unfair to label these passions ‘boring’ without even exploring them in depth?
A Harvard MBA Study in 1979 revealed that only 3 percent of the graduate students had written goals and plans 13 percent had non-written goals. The rest of the 84 percent? The poll showed they had no goals at all. Ten years later, these students were interviewed again, and guess what? The 13 percent who had non-written goals were actually earning twice as much in comparison to the 84 percent who had no goals at all. Meanwhile, the 3 percent with written goals were earning ten times more than the collective 97 percent. What can we conclude from these studies? We may deduce from these results that setting goals, any future goal, can make all the difference in the world as far as success is concerned.
Take Einstein, take Steve Jobs, and take Bill Gates – what endeavor did they all share in common that propelled their success? A greater goal. From the above discussion it is as prudent as is worthwhile to deduce that when one has a goal, they have some higher purpose to look forward to. Their life is filled meaning and purpose. To achieve something of value, one has to prepare for it and the starting point of all that is setting a grand objective – something to be worked towards throughout the entirety of your life. The goal can be anything, be it setting up a company, finding the truth about our very origins or opening a beauty parlor – the important point to note is that one must have deep passion for that objective. One must be prepared to sacrifice their nights for that goal. One must be prepared to devote their lifetime to the goal. One must be prepared to face any turbulence that pops up throughout the journey of pursuing that one goal. Only then would you achieve a feeling of purpose and meaning, only then would you near the horizon of success and respect, and only then you would lead a happy life. In fact, Albert Einstein once said: “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things”. So back to our original question: what is it that separates us humans from the tidal wave of animals? The answer is: a greater goal.