Last year I wrote a book on goal setting. I am now in the process of editing that book. As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog. This is from chapter two:
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Focus on helping others
We often choose goals around wealth, fame, and power.
I think that is backward. Wealth, fame, and power are the by-products. They are the results.
Wealth, fame, and power come after we start hitting our goals.
Wealth, fame, and power are the results of your creativity, your work, and your dedication.
Choose a goal that allows you to serve others. Don’t chase money. Let the money chase you because you leveled up and shared your skill with the world.
Think of the fuel in your car.
The purpose of the fuel is simple. The fuel exists to take you somewhere. The fuel helps you reach your destination.
The destination is the point. The destination is why you went to the station and filled your car with fuel.
Imagine saying, “Wow. I really wish I had 25 gallons of fuel!”
You never see people filling up at the service station beaming from ear to ear because they now have 25 gallons of fuel.
The point of the fuel is to get you to your destination.
The same applies to money. It is strange to say (and, yet common), “I wish I had one million dollars!”
Think of money as fuel. Money helps you reach your goals.
Instead of focusing on one million dollars, or any amount of money, focus on the contribution you can make. Focus on the difference you can make.
Here’s a personal example.
The money my website generates gives me the freedom to write and gives me the freedom to study languages.
I never set out, when building my website, to earn a certain amount of money. That was not the goal.
I had another goal. I wanted to build a website that would help people learn Latin without boring them to sleep.
Many Latin courses are terribly boring. I have personally fallen asleep in the middle of many Latin books.
I knew I could teach Latin without putting people to sleep.
When I built my website and started teaching, the website began generating money.
I then poured much of that money right back into the website.
The money fueled the website. I used the money to update and improve the website.
For the students, I focused on making Latin entertaining and educational.
My goal was to teach Latin without boring the students to sleep. The money from my site generated the ‘fuel’ I needed to hit my goal.
Eventually, the website kicked off enough income to allow me to leave my 9-to-5 job.
These days, the money I earn from my website pays the bills. It frees my time. I use the extra time to study languages and to write.
Instead of setting a wealth goal (which I will actually teach you to do), I recommend setting a wealth-generating goal.
Though subtle, there is a difference.
The same principle applies to fame and power.
Don’t aim for fame and power. Instead, focus on improving your skills. Get good at something. Become known for something. Then, find a way to monetize the skill.
Perhaps, if you want them, fame and power will come.
Then again, you may not want fame and power.
Fame is fickle and unpredictable. I suggest you not bother chasing fame. If it comes, figure out how to handle it. But, don’t chase it.
As for power, I cannot help you. I am not interested in power. I have a laissez-faire approach to power.
Laissez-faire is a French term. Laissez-faire means, let it be.
Power over others has zero appeal to me. If it’s power you are after, my advice is the same.
Focus on becoming great at something. Become known for something. Perhaps then, power will flow toward you.
However, when it comes to power, you will get no advice from me.
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Almost every Saturday, I send out a Tip of the Week. It’s just something I have picked up along the way that may make your life a little easier. If you would like to hear from me (almost) every Saturday, just go to the home page of my site and plug in your name and email. You will also get a free copy of my book on learning Latin (and almost anything else). Just go here: https://dwanethomas.com/
If you are interested in learning Latin, you can go through the classes on my site 24/7. I recommend the book Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. If you tackle the book and find yourself bogged down, you may find the classes on my site helpful. To join, just click here: https://dwanethomas.com/join/
If you want a more professionally filmed experience, check out the best-selling DVD series: Visual Latin.
Or, if you want to skip Latin, and just jump right into learning English words from Latin and Greek roots, you may enjoy the series Word Up! Warning. Word Up! is a bit wacky. You will learn a lot… but, you may find yourself rolling your eyes, too.
By the way, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Not trying to pull a fast one on you. I only promote what I believe in.
