Doesn’t it seem some people are just born more determined than others? They can usually be spotted by the time they’re two years old. They know what they want and they’re on a mission to get it. There’s not a single fiber of giving up in them and if you ask what motivates them, they’re really not quite sure. They simply enjoy conquering.

There are others who have are driven by specific purpose. Maybe someone told them they would never amount to anything and they’re out to prove they have greatness in them. Others might have grown up in poverty and their aspiration is to get out and never go back. They know their intent and what pushes them.

Some people have a defining moment that sets them on a path of intention. Focus sets in and nothing can get in their way. The force behind accomplishments may have different roots, but all have one thing in common.

At some point a dream, a hope, a wish, or an aspiration becomes a goal and that’s when it gets serious. A strategic plan is mapped out with a deadline in sight. I learned recently goals that aren’t written down are just fantasies occasionally floating by. “Someday I’m going to” ... fill in the blank. Someday never comes.

But when a goal is written down, it’s becomes like a contract with yourself. I’m pretty good with short term goals. I keep a notebook with a page for each day and my goals for that day. What I don’t mark off, I push to the next day. It works for me. However, most of my month, year or five year goals are rattling around in my head. I think of them every once in a while to only realize months and sometimes years have gone by.

If my goals for the day are in ink and most of them are accomplished, why wouldn’t it work for my long term goals? I think I need a new notebook.