| Last night walking home from Jiu-Jitsu I was | | | | Every moment you spend doing an activity is |
| chatting with a guy I met from class. He told me | | | | either an investment in something or it is an |
| he was studying to get a masters degree in | | | | expenditure with no equity-gone for ever. |
| physical education because he wanted to teach | | | | How many moments can you afford to spend |
| PE. I asked him if he could make money doing | | | | with no equity? For some people entire life times |
| that and his answer was astounding to me. He | | | | slip away without equity. They can look back over |
| said he didn't know. He was 27 years old in college | | | | the long years and not point to a major |
| to get a second degree, and working part time as | | | | accomplishment. All of there dreams and goals |
| a shipping and receiving clerk. | | | | slipped away. They never took the time to |
| If your goal is to teach and it is your | | | | arrange their time with equity. |
| passion-great. Teaching is a noble calling. The world | | | | What happens if you set a long term goal lets |
| desperately needs talented teachers. My concern | | | | say that will take 5 years to accomplish it and on |
| was his lack of understanding of the details of his | | | | year 3 you realize it is the wrong goal or the price |
| goal. Without knowing how much he would earn | | | | is higher than you are willing to pay? What should |
| how could he know if his main goal synced with | | | | you do? If you quit are you a quitter? |
| his others goals? He was still single without any | | | | The answer to the last question is yes, you are a |
| children. If one of his goals was to eventually | | | | quitter. But I tell you it is better to quit a goal that |
| marry and raise a family could he support his | | | | doesn't serve your life well than to continue with |
| family? What if he spent three years working and | | | | the pursuit of something you made with your |
| studying to become a PE teacher only to find he | | | | youthful mind. You are not the same today as |
| couldn't make a living for his family? | | | | you were yesterday and you certainly will not be |
| There is a misconception being touted all around | | | | the same ten years from now. |
| that you only have to do what you love and you | | | | One of the most difficult decisions of my life was |
| will make enough money to live your dream life. | | | | to resign my commission as an officer in the |
| The reality is you have to be in a position to | | | | Army. I spent more than 6 years working on my |
| receive money by the things you love. If just for | | | | just becoming an officer thinking I wanted to |
| argument's sake the maximum a PE teacher | | | | serve as a career officer. At the ten and half |
| earns with experience is capped at 40k and you | | | | year mark I left the Army. Just about everyone |
| need 80k a year then you have a serious shortfall | | | | tried to talk me out of it. You are crazy they |
| that your passion will not bring to you. The | | | | said, you are giving up a guaranteed retirement. A |
| bureaucracy of the school system in and of itself | | | | continuous stream of income you will begin |
| will prevent much change. | | | | receiving at only 43. |
| The flaw in the thinking is not the passion or even | | | | For me the price was too high. Nine and a half |
| the goal. The flaw is in the planning. Your goal | | | | more years in the Army would have been a |
| planning must synch all of your goals. They need | | | | sentence condemning myself to misery and |
| to support and build on one another. Short term | | | | subjecting my marriage to long years of |
| planning is important, but you must also think and | | | | separation. My goal was completely out of sync |
| plan for the long term. | | | | with my new life and I cast it aside and set a |
| What a tragedy to work for four years only to | | | | new goal. I had to reinvent myself in nearly every |
| find out your goal doesn't get you where you | | | | way. Can you imagine trying to translate the skills |
| really want to go. The time would not be wasted. | | | | of a trained killer into business life? There is not |
| The very act of working toward the goal was | | | | too much of a need in the market place for an |
| important. You grew along the way. You changed | | | | Airborne Ranger. Luckily for me the specific skills |
| in a hundred maybe a thousand small ways. | | | | were not nearly as important as the what I had |
| The danger is time. You do not have all the time | | | | become. The character of discipline, focus, and |
| in the world. You are only allowed 24 hours in the | | | | dedication that I developed. My 10 years were |
| day. If you spend even a small part of your 24 | | | | not wasted. They were invested pursuing a |
| hours chasing a goal you shouldn't have chased | | | | worthwhile endeavor that helped shape and form |
| you will never get that time back. Pursuing out of | | | | who I am today. |
| synch goals delays the goals you really need to | | | | Make sure the goals you set today are still in |
| accomplish. | | | | sync with your reality today. |