All of us want to forge ahead and excel in our respective fields. There are different approaches adopted by various persons for achieving their goals. Goals, of course, keep changing from time to time.

The goal of the parents is to bring up their children and ensure that they have good education and rewarding careers later in their lives. A child’s goal is first to be able to sit, then stand up and then walk. Once in school, her goal is to study and come up to the expectations of her teachers and parents. After education, the goal is to find a good job and then to go higher up the ladder of success.

It is a different story that most people do not have any specific goals and just meander through their lives purposelessly. Not having any goal is like starting a car without knowing where you are headed. Most people know where they want to go and what route they need to take when they get into the car. When they are not sure of the route, they ask for directions from others.

Life is like driving a vehicle where you need to have a specific destination. Otherwise you will land nowhere or you will land at a place where you don’t want to be. When that happens, it is no use blaming your luck, fate or circumstances. In another context, Shakespeare says, “The fault does not lie in our stars but in ourselves.” Not being where you want to be is frustrating. The disappointment continues for such people because even after being where they do not want to be they do not take any steps to correct the situation.

Surprisingly, only 3 to 7% people set their goals. As children, people want to be pilots, doctors, movie stars or civil servants. But they lose their enthusiasm when they grow up because they no longer think that any such thing is possible. This is because they did not set goals or worked to achieve them.
Now, how often you think of what you want in life. After achieving it, do you ask, “What next?” Without goals, there is no excitement because you don’t feel yourself challenged. Without goals, life becomes boring, uninteresting, depressing and monotonous.

When you have goals to achieve, you feel that your life has a purpose. It is not to say that everyone should have lofty goals. It is only saying that if you have some goals, you will get more out of life and stretch your potential to the maximum.

You must set realistic goals. Begin with the goals which you can achieve. If you keep on failing, you will feel disheartened and lose further interest and confidence. So the best thing is to set small, realistic goals to begin with and then switch to higher goals as you go along. If you are unemployed and want to be a millionaire, start looking for a job, give it your best and start saving money to begin with. Simply wishing that you want to be a millionaire, is not good enough.

Another important factor essential for achieving a goal is a fervent and fanatical belief that you can and you will realise your goals. This involves changing your thinking and developing an unshakeable confidence in your ability to do so. You cannot disbelieve in yourself and hope at the same time to get good results. You have to move from the mindset of ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’ and ‘I will’.

You have to be very clear about your goals as clarity of objectives ensures success and happiness. Lack of clarity brings disappointments, dissatisfaction, failure or underachievement more often than any other single attribute. Your success in life is directly proportionate to how clear you are about what you really and truly want.

The best thing will be to write down goals as writing clarifies our thinking. Keep the written record of your goals at a place where it can serve as a constant reminder. The discipline of writing down something is the first step toward making it happen. Writing not only clarifies your thinking but also reinforces your thoughts. The clearer you are about what you want, the more likely it will be that you will do more of the things that are consistent and helpful in achieving them. Only a clear mental picture can transform itself into reality. While setting your goals, chart out the path you will follow for attaining them. List all the steps you need to take to make your goals a reality.

You should also list your personal strengths required for achieving your goals and seek help of experts if you need it. Above all, you must be passionate, excited and enthusiastic about your goals.

Form a habit of revisiting, evaluating and, if necessary, adjusting your strategies to achieve your goals. Until you are committed, there will be hesitation and a chance to pull back. A definite commitment means burning your bridges so that you can only move forward. This will release unexpected energy and initiative, leading to the transformation of your goals into a reality. Boldness has a genius and a magical power in it. It is up to each one of us to exploit it.

Whatever needs to be done, just begin it. Be on the look out for new opportunities and options which can take you towards your goals. Always try to be cheerful and optimistic. Keep on asking yourself as to what you can do even in a small measure today which will take you nearer your goal. Ask yourself whether your goals are specific, smart, measurable and achievable. If they are not, then take steps to make them so.
If you are unable to make any headway towards your goals within the framework set by you, then examine the factors that are holding you back or coming in the way. Obviously, something is wrong and you must make mid-way corrections as required. You have to take risks and, if necessary, change tracks for attaining your goals and objectives.

I personally use all the systems available to me to evaluate my daily progress. These systems include the computer, digital diaries, the clock and my own stop watch. The best thing is to scribble down whatever I have to do and then review it at the end of the day to see how much I have accomplished and how much is left undone. I make sure that I spend all my productive time on things which matter most to me.

I have realised that you do not get credit of any sort for socialising or chit-chatting but for focussing and spending your time on things vital to you. There are no short cuts or magic wands to achieve goals except hard work and hard work coupled with focus.

Lastly, you can achieve any goal you want in life. The only condition is to work just half a day. It does not matter whether it is the first or the last 12 hour!

Joginder Singh is former director of CBI, India. He has written several books on personal development.

It is vital to get things done, but it is equally crucial and imperative to leave a few non essential things, left undone. No constitution of the world gives anybody the right to throw in the towel and concede defeat. You should adopt an approach, to keep on trying till your endeavour is successful. If you want to be lucky in your job or profession, work harder at it. You will find that you luck is proportionate to the labour, you put in. Life is like a computer, where the output is dependent on your input. Grind and labour is the price of realising any goal. You can accomplish anything, if you are willing to pay the price and are fanatic about your success. You have a choice to grin and bear it; or smile and do it others smile and do it.

Intensity of purpose and the ability to stick to your effort is what makes you a genius.

You have to wait for your effort to show fruits. You cannot climb the top even though you have a ladder. You can ascend, to the top of the ladder step by step. In fact, anything worthwhile takes time to fructify. It takes time for a child to grow up and it takes time to build your house. It takes several years to get a Master’s Degree. It takes six months for a crop to yield paddy or wheat. You have to endure, on the path of persistence, to be a success.

What we persist in doing again and again, becomes easier.

It is not that the task has become simple or uncomplicated, It is because our ability to do the same augmented and enhanced. Do not form a habit of quitting. Most people focus only on what keeps us safe in our jobs and personal life. With this approach, higher levels of performance which involves some risk taking suffers. High performance is different from minimum acceptable standards. You have to build up the level of trust with the people working with you. If we do not recognise the good things, which happen to us every day, then every day is the same, as the previous or next day.

Appreciation, which is wonderful is the light, that dispels darkness. It is the appreciation, which cheers people, uplifts their spirits and makes them give their best. Irrespective of our status in life, we all want to be appreciated. I noticed that whenever I appreciated even the Prime Minister, I could sense a glint of pleasure on his face. Our small habits reveal as to what kind of persons we are. Basically, we all crave to be appreciated. But you must make sure that you live your values and honour the promises you make. At the same time you should examine your values, so that they are in alignment with the present environment.

Make straight talk, self-confidence, and simplicity a part and parcel of your life. These will never be outdated. For your own happiness, you need have a life style, where you live in harmony with your values. Persistently and relentlessly remain integrated with your passions and values. Do not base your conduct and your happiness, on the approval of others, if you have done your best. Free yourself from the prerequisite and restraint to have the approval of others, for each and every thing you do. If you do that you would tend to procrastinate. We all drag our feet or dawdle, whenever we face unpleasant, tedious, or distasteful tasks, hoping that the need to attend them might disappear or that someone else would come forward to take over the responsibilities. It never happens, as nothing moves, unless it is moved. Ask yourself : “What does my unconscious mind want me to know about this present moment? If I must attend to this task, why am I putting up a fuss about it?” Once we discern the reasons behind the procrastination, it becomes easier to tackle the same.

By nature and inclination, it becomes easier to be negative rather than positive.

Our efforts should be to replace the negatives with the positives. Remember that nothing in life is interesting, if you are not interested. Those who wish to sing will always find a reason and a song to sing. Anywhere you go if you like and appreciate people, you will find that everybody will be likeable. Make it a habit to note the good points of others, rather than focusing on their faults. We should do our best not to be cynics. The kingdom of heaven in the final analysis is not a place, but a state of mind. It is up to each one of us cultivate a heavenly state of mind.

One needs to be abreast of new inventions and discoveries, which can help in this direction. Videoconferencing can eliminate stressful travelling. But travel sometimes, has its own admirable points like discovering new things or places or even being able to catch up on your reading during train or air journeys.

It is a good idea to begin and end your day with a prayer. I invariably do one non-Sikh religious reading like on Christianity or Jainism or Buddhism or Islam or Geeta every day, apart from the Granth Sahib. In the night before sleeping as well as in the morning before starting the day,  some positive and thankful reading is a must. It really sways your thoughts. Some people do some meditation. Anything which helps you to become more efficient and a better person and encourages you to live in the present moment should be welcomed. The idea is, to do your best in your work. Always try to think positive, as positive vibes make you feel good about yourself and the world. Being positive radiates positive energy to others including people hostile to you. Have a target to make one person happy and smiling every day.

Focus all your energies on working hard and in achieving whatever you have set out to achieve. It will be a very satisfying experience. Your efforts should be to stay healthy as health is basic to all achievements. A healthy body will enable you to work harder and for longer hours. It will make you feel more confident and change you for the better. Have a programme of staying healthy by incorporating exercising in your life. Never sacrifice your exercising regimen. I get visitors quite often and some of them turn up when I am just going for exercise. I invite them to join me and discuss whatever they want to say during the exercising and walking session. As most people are out of shape, they drop off soon by cutting short their conversation, which would have gone on interminably otherwise.

There are others, who meet me at functions or programmes or even during the exercise and tell me that they want to come to my place to discuss a few things. I do not put them off discourteously, but tell them to discuss whatever they want straightaway. This saves me from listening to their litany of grievances later on.

Having a friendly disposition makes life pleasant and gives you a feeling of being on top of the world. Stay relaxed and do let your hair down. Do anything which makes you feel good whether it is partying, reading books, meditating or seeing films. With this approach you will feel refreshed and energised.

We need to strive for continuous improvement in every walk of our life, be it professional, social or personal. Most of the time people are rigid about their methods of working, living, socialising and even meeting others. A friend’s wife insisted on bathing her one old year baby with cold water in severe cold in December in Delhi on the ground that it is healthy to bathe with cold water. She continued doing this till her baby caught pneumonia and was on death bed. Only after a lot of arguments by her parents and her husband, she realised that it was not necessary to punish the baby with ice cold water in winter. It was her fixed mindset which almost killed her baby, who survived due to the intervention of his grand parents.

Once I was posted in an office, where I found that I could not dictate my letters to anybody as nobody knew stenography or typing. Any expectation that they would be typed correctly and accurately was out of question.

Conventional, conservative and fixed ideas lay down expectations that in Government offices all typing work should be done by the typist or secretary or your stenographer. It was not applicable in the present context. So instead of sticking with such a person, I insisted on his transfer and got it done from another person. The substitute was so good that I had him transferred with me and he spent a large chunk his service with me as my private secretary. At his advice, I learnt typing when still in service. As the typing keyboards of the computer and the typewriter are similar, the transition has been easy and very convenient. This knowledge and skill has resulted in my having written 29 books and in honing my writing skill.

I am convinced that if we do not keep on learning throughout our lives, we are left behind. Whenever I am faced with a problem, I think of how I can solve it and not how it cannot be done. Making excuses for not doing anything and everything is the easiest thing. What matters is doing by questioning the existing theories and practices.

This is the difference between pessimist and others. The pessimist will give all kinds of reasons and excuses as to why something cannot be done instead of getting into the arena and doing it. I reason that it is better to try and get wrong results than not to try at all. Trying something is vital and is the first step in getting any outcome. Undoubtedly, better ways will be found as we go along. We should not put off doing, under the excuse that we are doing only 50 or 75% correctly. Starting itself will help you get past the ‘stuck-up’ point. We can always rectify or adjust as we go along the way.

If you discover that you have made a mistake, correct it right away.  Accept that mistakes are a part of life and they happen. Do what the pilots do when flying aeroplane. Though they put their planes on auto pilot, they keep on constantly adjusting so that the plane lands at its intended destination. It is equally true of our lives and self-improvement. The path to the progress and self-development is not always straight. It requires corrections from time to time. It lies in our power to do it.

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Joginder Singh had a distinguished career as an Indian Police Service Officer and retired as the head of India’s top investigating agency CBI. He is a prolific writer, having published 29 books including translated versions.

Such people always feel beleaguered by different tasks they have to do each day. They feel exhausted and tired. The solution lies in being in control of your life so that you wake up each morning feeling calm and rested.

Time management is a way to control our activities and an aid to making choices so that we can make the best use of our time. Both the rich and poor alike have the same number of minutes and hours available in a day, a week, a month or a year.

It is how we use these moments which is crucial. Effective time management will give us more time to do what we really want whether it is reading, writing, sports or any other pastime.

Time management can have a spectacular effect on our professional and social life. All of us can get started with a ‚Äòto do‚Äô list. Most winners and champions use “to do” lists so that they can use their limited time effectively.

Indeed, whatever I put on my ‚Äòto do‚Äô list gets done, and whatever I do not remains pending. I keep a diary next to me and keep on adding to the “to do” list as and when something strikes me.
This enables me to keep my focus on what really needs to be done, keeping away from unimportant tasks that don’t have much value. This approach is invaluable in helping me to decide where my priorities lie.

Updating the ‘to do‚Äô list frequently is very important to sift between the (1) urgent (2) important but not urgent and (3) neither urgent nor important. Again, you have to decide about (1) and (2) while the tasks in (3) can be attended to after you have finished with others.

While you work on the basis of your ‘to do‚Äô list, some unexpected matters may crop up, requiring all your time and energy. In that case, it becomes vital again to reorganise your ‘to do‚Äô list.
Some people trust their memory to prepare and prioritise their ‘to do‚Äô lists. My experience has shown that quite often we may not be able to do all the things we want to unless we put things down in writing.

So I keep a pad and pen near the telephone so that vital details of any message could be written down. Even when travelling, I keep a note book and pen handy and avoid taxing my memory as far as possible.

If I don’t note down things, then I have to keep my mind busy by constantly thinking about a few things which need to be done. And yet when the time to do them comes, they are forgotten completely.

Another important point in time management is to keep your things in order. You would feel demoralised if you allow piles of unsorted papers to overwhelm you. If some paper is important, make it a point to file it there and then, otherwise chances are that you will misplace it or lose it.

A neat environment facilitates working efficiently, making it easy to find whatever you want to find. Make a determined effort to keep your environment clean. You can do so in bits and parts. For instance, when I notice things cluttering up, I make it a point to put one item away at a time. It does not tire me and the task does not look daunting.

Never lose focus on what you are doing. If you recall that you should be doing something else when you are on one project, simply write it down on your “to do” list to get it out of your mind and take it up, if it is that urgent, after you have finished the task at hand.

Telephone is an integral part of most jobs. The phone calls cannot be neglected. However, if you are busy doing something important, do not break your concentration and answer the phone calls after you have attended to whatever you are doing. But do take care to answer all calls reasonably promptly.

Sometimes, we get invited to meetings and programs that have no relevance to what we are doing or what we want to do or in what we are really interested in. Instead of wasting time on things which do not add to your happiness or productivity, just send a polite refusal note. It is equally important that you should invite only those people who are relevant to your programs, meetings or plans.

I have noticed that many a time, people are not clear what they want to say during telephonic conversations and a lot of time is wasted in first creating misunderstanding and then clearing them up. But an email leaves no scope for ambiguity. So do write email instead of making a telephone call whenever precise communication is required.

Lastly, we all have many distasteful jobs to do. It could be lodging a complaint or giving a junior a piece of our mind. It is better to do such unpleasant tasks the first thing in the morning. This will reduce your stress level and you will have a feeling of having put the nastiest task out of the way.

Someone has put it well, “Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.” So use every minute of the day well.