A few years ago the Dayton Daily News had an article today about a woman who completed all 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail. She did it in parts over several years. 33 miles here, 245 there. She slowly but effectively made progress toward her goal.
Years ago I backpacked parts of the trail, mostly in North Carolina and Virginia. I have walked parts of the trail in other states. I enjoy reading about the trail. Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is a favorite.
I would like to have walked the entire trail. But I never made it a goal as many people have. And that is the difference in many aspects of life and careers. Goal setting.
Do you have goals? Do you know where you would like to be in one year, 5 years, ten years? Do you have plans to get there? What do you need to do this year? This month? This week? Today? Do you have your personal goals in writing, typed on your computer, visible on your smartphone? Are they specific? Are they measurable? Are they achievable? At least once a year I set aside time to revisit my goals in various aspects of my work and life. I have a written list and have done this for many years. In my opinion a major key to personal and organizational success at all levels is goal setting.
I have blogged about pursuing dreams. The backpacker in the DDN story had a dream. She set goals, made plans, took action. She could have failed. But she pursued her dream to the best of her ability and succeeded. The DDN article quoted her: "A dream is only a dream until you step out and make it a reality."
Modified from an earlier blog, 9/28/2012
"Appalachian Trail" image by Scott Basford. Attribution: I, Blinute. Used with permission per Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.o
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Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/johnballardphd
On Twitter: @johnballardphd
Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations, coming in May,
http://www.abc-clio.com/Praeger/product.aspx?pc=A4781C
Available for pre-order at leading on-line bookstores.
Years ago I backpacked parts of the trail, mostly in North Carolina and Virginia. I have walked parts of the trail in other states. I enjoy reading about the trail. Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is a favorite.
I would like to have walked the entire trail. But I never made it a goal as many people have. And that is the difference in many aspects of life and careers. Goal setting.
Do you have goals? Do you know where you would like to be in one year, 5 years, ten years? Do you have plans to get there? What do you need to do this year? This month? This week? Today? Do you have your personal goals in writing, typed on your computer, visible on your smartphone? Are they specific? Are they measurable? Are they achievable? At least once a year I set aside time to revisit my goals in various aspects of my work and life. I have a written list and have done this for many years. In my opinion a major key to personal and organizational success at all levels is goal setting.
I have blogged about pursuing dreams. The backpacker in the DDN story had a dream. She set goals, made plans, took action. She could have failed. But she pursued her dream to the best of her ability and succeeded. The DDN article quoted her: "A dream is only a dream until you step out and make it a reality."
Modified from an earlier blog, 9/28/2012
"Appalachian Trail" image by Scott Basford. Attribution: I, Blinute. Used with permission per Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.o
____________________________________
Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/johnballardphd
On Twitter: @johnballardphd
Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations, coming in May,
http://www.abc-clio.com/Praeger/product.aspx?pc=A4781C
Available for pre-order at leading on-line bookstores.
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