Why Should You Set Goals?

About 16 years ago, I left my home in Sweden and hopped on a plane to the beautiful island of Phuket. With dreamy sands, azure waters everywhere, and the warm sun bronzing my skin, you might’ve thought I had it all, but you couldn’t have been more wrong.

I had nothing. I was a homeless man who lived and slept on the island’s beaches, seeking refuge under the shade of tall palm trees. I had no money. I didn’t have a place to call home or even a roof over my head. I asked friends for money, but their responses were far from what I had hoped for. Needless to say, I was at the lowest point of my life.

Now, I’m the CEO of Blue Horizon Developments, a property development company that has built some of the most luxurious resorts in Thailand and Southeast Asia. I have created 19 companies employing around 250 people, so far.

How did I go from being homeless to this level of success? I learned to set goals.

When I say ‘goals,’ I refer to actionable plans we make for the near and foreseeable future that yield desired outcomes. They should be specific goals that we want to achieve, with a clear level of importance to us. They could be something as simple as eating healthy every meal or as ambitious as flying to Mars. Regardless of what they are, setting goals in life is highly important. Here’s why:

Goals Make Us Believe in Ourselves and Keep Us Motivated

Our goals are often the answer to “Who do you want to be in the future?” or “Where do you see yourself ten years from now?” They are a powerful statement of our dreams and inner desires. They are testimonials to our understanding of our potential. By having goals, we give ourselves a reason to wake up every morning brimming with energy and something potentially life-changing to be excited about.

Goals are the Way Out of an Unhappy Life

Do you know why I was homeless? It’s because I had no goals. I soon realized I couldn’t keep living as a homeless person. To make ends meet, I made it my goal to get a job. And to get a job, I executed a series of plans that completely turned my life around.

Though each of us has different goals in life, we all ultimately want the same thing: a sense of satisfaction and happiness. So, by setting goals and following through with them, we do ourselves a favor by building a happier and more fulfilling future.

Goals are a Means to Revolutionize the World

Do you know how many attempts it took the great Thomas Edison to invent the lightbulb successfully? Edison claimed that it was 10,000! He had a clear vision of what he wanted to create, and his goal was to turn his ideas into reality.

Despite what others might have perceived as a failure, Edison considered each unsuccessful attempt a learning opportunity, a step closer to success. Had Edison faltered and not followed through on his goal, we might not have had the lightbulbs we cannot live without today.

Despite what others might say, it is essential to keep our goals and visions guarded. It is nobody’s business to judge. What might seem improbable or unrealistic to most people will not be perceived in the same way to someone with a clear vision, a solid strategy, and an unwavering determination to achieve personal goals. After all, nobody has changed the world by being like everyone else.

I can give you so many more reasons to have goals in life. I can tell you exactly what you need to know to achieve your goals and transform your life as I did. My book, Homeless to Billionaire: The 18 Principles of Wealth Attraction and Creating Unlimited Opportunity, will give you practical insights on how to move past your failures and reach success, how to convert problems into opportunities, and many other valuable lessons along the way.