Choosing your destination

Successful and happy life requires that we devote ourselves to fulfilling a worthy life plan. If we do not consciously give our life purpose and direction, we will be like a ship without a captain to steer it or a chart to direct its course. According to Dr Robert Anthony, in life, so many op­portunities needlessly pass us by because we do not know where we are going. He that there is an intelligent Force in the universe that is unfolding a Master Plan for creation; and that we are part of that plan. “If we look at the stars, animal life, plant life and the sea, it is easy for us to see that they are all components of a very orderly universe.”

Everything has a place and a reason for being. Projecting the macrocosm to the microcosm it becomes obvious that you have a place where you and you alone fit in an orderly and desirable way.

It may well be that your prob­lems exist primarily because you are not in your right place. There are things you should be doing that you are neglecting or avoid­ing. You do not fully appreciate the fact that you are a unique individual with a special place to occupy and a purpose to fulfill. Your contribution to life may not seem great but, as part of the Supreme Architect’s plan, you are none-the-less, just as important as anyone else.

Everything worthwhile that has happened throughout the ages is part of the unfolding Master Plan. All the world’s great achievements, in every field or endeavour, have been made possible because individuals have listened to their Inner Guidance, which manifested a strong desire and inspired them to set out to achieve it. To others, these desires may have seemed impossible. But those who create have both PURPOSE and DI­RECTION. They realise that they are individuals in full control of their destinies.

Psychological studies in person­al performance show that individ­uals who have a plan and goals for their lives are happier and more successful than those who do not.

At this stage of your devel­opment, it is important for you to make a plan for your life, one which will utilise all your talents and abilities. You must take the time right now to figure out what you want to do and how far you want to go. Look at each area of your life and design a plan as to where you want to go, what you want to do, and most important­ly, how you want to BE! If you do this, you will know if you are making progress. How can you possibly know if you are succeed­ing or making progress if you don’t establish a goal or a destina­tion? Once you begin doing this, you will discover the pleasure, satisfaction and value of making detailed plans for the things you want to accomplish.

One of the basic secrets in achieving our objectives is to break our big goals into a number of smaller ones. Nothing is really difficult if it is broken down into parts. As each part – each short-range goal – becomes a reality, the satisfaction derived from its attainment is a spur to the next milepost. Failing to understand this principle, many people resist establishing large goals because the total effort involved in achiev­ing them seems overwhelming.

In the game of goal setting a one hundred percent success rate is NOT a requirement. Even if you do not achieve everything you set out to do, you will still be further ahead than if you just did nothing, as is the case with so many people. It is a fact that goals whether they are realized or not, constructively change people’s lives. They direct our mental energies into positive channels. All it takes is to know what you want to have what you want to achieve and how you want to BE.

What will you have?

You can have anything in life, if you will be definite about what you want. Most of the time, we are far too vague in identifying precisely what we want. Thus, many of our goals die in the realm of wishful thinking. Not knowing what you really want is just excuse for not getting started. To never make a decision is never to make a mistake. The fear of rejection or failure and the need for approval, hold people prisoners.

Not to decide is to decide, for choice is inevitable. Not to choose success is equivalent to choosing failure. The problem with indeci­sion is that it creates frustration. We know we should be doing something creative but, instead, settle for indecision and feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy. You will feel a tremendous surge of self-confidence and power if you take the time to choose a worthy goal, and make a plan for your life.

Get the writing habit

Most people do not bother to write down an exact description of what they want. At one time, in a seminar work, a Facilitator distributed worksheets to help people do this, yet less than five per cent ever actually used them. Most intellectually agreed that the idea was a good one, but felt the details involved were too much bother. They said it was not nec­essary because they could remem­ber what they wanted.

This attitude is one of the major reasons why only five per­cent of the people on this planet achieve their goals. They are the ones who are willing write down their goals so that they can track their results.

But why do all this? It is a psy­chologically sound principle that VISION accounts for approxi­mately eighty-seven per cent of your total sensory perception. Further, the kinetic energy from the act of writing down your plan impresses your subconscious deeper than if you just thought about it.

Remember when you misbe­haved in school and the teacher made you write something a hundred times? The teacher knew that you would tend to remember what you wrote down. The sub­conscious mind catches up with written instructions, incorporating the information in the automatic structure of the brain and central nervous system, already making it a reality.

Start where you are

One of the greatest discover­ies you will ever make is to learn to live in the present moment. NOW is the only time there is; yet we insist on wasting it by men­tally living in a past we cannot change, or in a future which we long for or dread. In establishing your goals, you must be careful not to get caught in this trap. All consideration of yesterday must be expunged from your memory. And the future, which is not yet a reality, must not be ransomed. It must be free to use when it becomes the present.

Many people live in the future and neglect what should be done today. “While planning for the fu­ture is vitally necessary, living in it only produces frustration, anxiety and failure because, by doing so, one is escaping from the present reality.”

To live a balanced and creative life, you must get into the habit of doing those things that are before you today. Strive for excellence. If you learn to perform your present task well, no matter how unpleasant it may be, you will have taught yourself a valu­able lesson in personal growth. Although people often delude themselves into thinking that they can do a better job at something else, there is a universal principal which states that “you will not be offered greater opportunities in life until you have proven that you are more than capable in handing your present life situation.”

Failure to perform your present actions efficiently and successfully will delay success and may actually set in motion a situation that will cause you to go backwards. Do not try to escape from the present for a better future that does not yet exist. “What you have to do right now is the most important thing you have to do.”

BY CAPT. SAM ADDAIH (RTD)