This week I saw one of those silly television "sit-coms"
where the daughter was sneaking out to a party and the
parents challenged her with the angry question, "Just where
do you think you're going?"
What a great question!
The show was silly and insipid, but the question is one
every adult MUST ask - and answer - on a regular basis.
Just exactly where ARE you headed? Where are you going in
life?
We have all heard the comment that most people spend more
time planning a party than planning their lives and sadly,
we know it's true.
We also know the familiar warnings about the dangers of
failing to choose a direction. Who hasn't heard things
such as:
"No wind blows in favor of a ship without a rudder" or how
about, "If you don't have goals you are doomed to work for
people who do"?
The truth is that we are all tossed and blown by wind and
currents every day. The phone rings and a friend wants a
favor or a family member is sick. Popular media tempts us
to "need" various consumer goods and to worry about all the
threats in our world every day. We go to work only to
learn that the company is down-sizing, moving or changing
in a way we didn't anticipate.
Every day, life gives us challenges and we are blown off-
course, and only those with a clear sense of direction are
able to get back on course quickly and easily.
People who know where they are going have written goals
that act as maps and guideposts. They have clear values
that act like a compass to chart their course. People who
know where they are going surround themselves with friends
and colleagues, books and tapes and posters that guide them
to their ultimate destinations.
It's said that an airplane is off-course for most of its
flight. At any given moment, winds and weather blow it
a bit left or right, or push it too high, or drop it
slightly below its assigned altitude, and if the pilot
fails to notice these things the plane will miss its
destination, eventually run out of fuel and crash.
Fortunately, pilots constantly monitor their course and
make corrections to reach their destination safely and on-
time.
Adults need to know where they are going in life. This is
your one and only glorious life and you do NOT want to blow
it!
Set your direction and chart your course. And, for those
who say they don't know their grand or ultimate purpose in
life, take comfort in the fact that a ship will visit many
ports in a lifetime of smooth sailing. Do you want to
visit Paris in the spring? Then set your course, save some
money, buy the tickets and do it!
Do you want more education? Get a library card (it's
free!), or buy the books and take the courses. Want to
start a business? It's easy!
Define your next "port of call", chart a course, and every
day, sail your ship. This is not difficult! It is,
however, the price one pays for achievement, satisfaction
and fulfillment. So, just exactly where do you think
you're going in life? Answer the question, chart your
course, and enjoy the trip.
where the daughter was sneaking out to a party and the
parents challenged her with the angry question, "Just where
do you think you're going?"
What a great question!
The show was silly and insipid, but the question is one
every adult MUST ask - and answer - on a regular basis.
Just exactly where ARE you headed? Where are you going in
life?
We have all heard the comment that most people spend more
time planning a party than planning their lives and sadly,
we know it's true.
We also know the familiar warnings about the dangers of
failing to choose a direction. Who hasn't heard things
such as:
"No wind blows in favor of a ship without a rudder" or how
about, "If you don't have goals you are doomed to work for
people who do"?
The truth is that we are all tossed and blown by wind and
currents every day. The phone rings and a friend wants a
favor or a family member is sick. Popular media tempts us
to "need" various consumer goods and to worry about all the
threats in our world every day. We go to work only to
learn that the company is down-sizing, moving or changing
in a way we didn't anticipate.
Every day, life gives us challenges and we are blown off-
course, and only those with a clear sense of direction are
able to get back on course quickly and easily.
People who know where they are going have written goals
that act as maps and guideposts. They have clear values
that act like a compass to chart their course. People who
know where they are going surround themselves with friends
and colleagues, books and tapes and posters that guide them
to their ultimate destinations.
It's said that an airplane is off-course for most of its
flight. At any given moment, winds and weather blow it
a bit left or right, or push it too high, or drop it
slightly below its assigned altitude, and if the pilot
fails to notice these things the plane will miss its
destination, eventually run out of fuel and crash.
Fortunately, pilots constantly monitor their course and
make corrections to reach their destination safely and on-
time.
Adults need to know where they are going in life. This is
your one and only glorious life and you do NOT want to blow
it!
Set your direction and chart your course. And, for those
who say they don't know their grand or ultimate purpose in
life, take comfort in the fact that a ship will visit many
ports in a lifetime of smooth sailing. Do you want to
visit Paris in the spring? Then set your course, save some
money, buy the tickets and do it!
Do you want more education? Get a library card (it's
free!), or buy the books and take the courses. Want to
start a business? It's easy!
Define your next "port of call", chart a course, and every
day, sail your ship. This is not difficult! It is,
however, the price one pays for achievement, satisfaction
and fulfillment. So, just exactly where do you think
you're going in life? Answer the question, chart your
course, and enjoy the trip.
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