Wishes, Hopes and Goals

Wishes. Hopes. Goals. “They” say that “hope” is not a strategy, but it does serve as an energy foundation for moving forward when we know where we want to go. According to some old song lyrics, “A dream is a wish your heart makes,” so that wish helps us understand what we really want to do and where we truly want to go.

A wish or hope is something we long for, like when we wish on a shooting star, or a birthday wish when we blow out the candles on a cake. But neither are likely to be something we think about very much. And, if one or the other should happen to come true, we may think it’s a bit of a miracle, something we might need a “fairy godparent” to grant – possibly with a magic wand.

Goals, however, are much different. Goals are where wishes and hopes come together to meet the pavement for our journey toward achievement. Goals cause us to focus our energies, very much like a goal in hockey or football. They are very specific, achievable and measurable. A clearly stated goal helps us to tune into our environment. We become very sensitive to things we may not have noticed before that can help us do what we want to do, and get to where we want to be.

Here is the most important part: goals are much more likely to happen than wishes or hopes, because they are so specific and because we think about them so much. We write them down, develop action strategies to help us make them happen, and we take them very seriously. And, ultimately, we are in charge of making them into realities.

Do you have any wishes or hopes that you would really like to see come true? If so, why not turn them into goals and take accountability for accomplishing them? You will be surprised at how your life will change once you do. There is an incredible sense of satisfaction when a goal is achieved, as well as the knowledge that you have the energy and creativity to do it again, and again, and again.