There is a big difference between scampering and running. Sure, they’re both actions designed to make a person move fast, but the difference lies in goal setting.

When a person scampers, it is without purpose. A person who is scampering moves to no purpose. It is an action performed instinctively. However, a person who runs does it to achieve a goal.

Which one do you prefer to do?

No matter how much effort you make, if you don’t have direction, you will be wasting your energy. How can one have direction without a goal? Goal setting is important because it is the first step towards a journey.

People may think that we started out without having any real goals, but let us examine life for a moment: When a sperm is first released, it has a goal, does it not? It swims towards the egg. This goal gives it direction.

As we mature in life, our goals get bigger and more ambitious. However, we still set goals. Goal setting is an inherent part of life. It answers the question of purpose. It tells us why we have to live, if only until the next day.

As mentioned before, goal actually gives us direction. For without goals, where would we direct our efforts to? Goal setting is the key and essentially gives us the first step in our individual journeys.

Think of it like this:

When you set a goal, you try to follow the most direct route towards it. So you take the first few steps towards achieving that goal. In setting a goal, you will always have the first step. However, in life, we encounter little detours. Sometimes, in order to reach our set goal, we must first accomplish another one.

Goal setting is the key to achieving success in life. If you set goals, you will be able to know which steps to take. Setting goals doesn’t mean you make a list of what to do or what not to do. That would merely be the semblance of goal setting. True goal setting involves commitment.

In true goals setting you need to be able to put your heart into it and commit yourself to achieving that goal. From the moment you set a goal, every effort you make will be directed towards the achievement of that goal.

Goal setting is important in life because it allows you to measure yourself. Nobody knows why measuring one’s self is so important. Perhaps it has something to do with self-improvement. Sometimes it has something to do with the realization that you are doing something in life.

However, goal setting will allow you to measure yourself by how close you are to achieving a goal. Through proper goal setting, you will be able to see just how far you’ve come and how far you will still be able to go.

Another importance of goal setting is that it allows you to know your purpose in life. Goal setting will prevent you from questioning your existence. Sure, some people find wisdom in questioning the meaning of life, but people who do not find answers to this question often end up in despair.

Goal setting gives you order.

If there is one thing that people seek in life more than food, clothing, or shelter, it would be order.