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The Power Of Personal Goal Setting
How Personal Goal Setting Can Influence The World
Some people would like to dismiss personal goal setting as highbrow philosophical nonsense best reserved for individuals with too much time on their hands, but they do themselves a disservice to adopt such an attitude. Whether you call it personal goal setting or use the more common and expansive term "self-improvement," the fact remains the same: accomplishing self-improvement goals can offer a lifetime of benefits.
Personal goal setting fuels everything from subtle improvements that benefit you and/or your family to history-changing accomplishments that can affect the lives of countless others. The latter part of that statement may seem like a gross exaggeration or a hyped-up statement, but let's take a quick look at a couple groups of individuals that have used the power of personal goal setting to impact history and humanity.
The American Forefathers
Most United States citizens have a deep reverence for their forefathers, and for good reason of course; without their fiercely independent and indomitable spirits, America might still be an English colony. Our forefathers desired a free country where religion was not dictated by the government, taxation was not possible without representation, and individual freedom was held above the whims of the majority (among other important tenets).
But such goals were extremely lofty, and had they not been committed to their personal goal setting they would not have struggled so hard against adversity up to the point where they could overcome it. The personal goals of these brave men and women (both the famous forefathers as well as the common men that volunteered to fight for their country) forged a country that forever influenced the rest of the globe.
Scientists
Although some scientists are well-paid for their work and may be motivated by economic factors, most choose that occupation because they have deep desires to uncover scientific mysteries or discover solutions to world problems such as disease. During the medieval ages reaching the age of 40 was quite an accomplishment, but thanks to the dedicated work of the scientific community we now live longer and healthier lives. Millions now benefit thanks to the personal goal setting of a few.
Christ's Apostles
The early Christian fathers would probably not be the first people you had in mind when thinking about personal goal setting, but they had very specific goals, the largest of which was spreading the gospel. Of course everyone is not of the Christian faith, but regardless of your religious beliefs (or non-beliefs, as the case may be), it's hard to deny the indelible mark the religion has left on the world. A handful of determined men converted countless others to their beliefs despite facing a hostile government and atmosphere, all by holding true to their personal goals no matter what they had to sacrifice to obtain them.
Of course the above is only the tip of the iceberg, for it does not include inventors, freedom advocates such as Martin Luther King, powerful business tycoons or any of the other countless historical figures that changed the world through their personal goal setting.
Now let's face it, obviously most of our personal goals are not going to impact others in the same manner as the above examples, nor do they have to. But as the above illustrates, personal goal setting from a determined and motivated individual has the potential to create a huge impact on others, so don't make the mistake of dismissing the potential unbridled power of personal goal setting.