Goals, and the steps along the way

Everyone in my life - parents, teachers, friends and employers have told me to set goals for myself, but not one of them ever told me how to do that. It's one thing to say to yourself "I'm going to be rich" or "I'll be the boss someday", but it's quite a different thing to actually get there. Setting goals should be like asking for directions. You wouldn't want to hear "yeah, that's 54 miles away, on the corner". More steps along the way need to be included. How are you going to get rich? What are you doing right now to become the boss? It could be getting a degree, or just taking a few classes, it could be taking some initiative at your current job and doing things that are not required, or simply doing exactly what is asked of you better than anyone else does it. I think of it like climbing a ladder. True - a bit of an overused analogy, but accurate. Whether you're at the bottom looking up, or on a rung somewhere along the way, It's definitely a step by step journey. Sure, you can attempt to skip a rung here or there, but those rungs are there for a reason. Someone who made that journey before you figured it all out. Skip a step, and you could slip back even farther. At the very least, trying a new shortcut could mean you're missing out on something you need. Take your time, follow the steps required, and don't skip ahead. In most cases, the journey - every part of it - is as important as the destination. Everything that has happened in your life has brought you to where you are, and everything you do from now on will get you where you need to be. Don't avoid rungs on the ladder, use them. Enjoy them. Even linger on them for a while before moving on. So set goals for yourself, but create a road map that gets you there. Call them intermediate goals, short-term achievements, or rungs of the ladder, follow the steps and you'll find that whatever your personal or professional goals are, you can get there. One step at a time.