How many times have you heard the expression that most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their lives. I would expand that expression by adding that most people spend more time "thinking" about their vacation than they do thinking about what's important in their life.

While rest and relaxation are a must in living a balanced life, it's not what we were created to do. After all, the Master Creator took his R&R (Rest and Recreation) on the seventh day, only after six days of "definitely directed thought."

Wallace D. Wattles, wrote "There is no labor from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardestwork in the world." And yet it is the first and primary labor of achievement.

My friend Mike Litman wrote an outstanding article for his ezine this week. It's called "The Millionaire Composite" and it analyzes one of the big differences between super-successful people and everyone else. He writes "I recently visited with a Real Estate Multi Millionaire Mogul. What did I see next to his desk? His vision statement, along with a list of what he values in life---hand written.

"A few months back, I interviewed an individual who has sold over a billion dollars worth of products on television. He told me that he reads his life and business vision and goals daily, and that he TAKES TIME to visualize exactly what he wants to create-EACH NIGHT before falling asleep."

What is your life's purpose or your personal mission statement? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Is your life organized around your purpose and a set of goals that support that purpose?

Without purpose and goals - definitely directed thought - you are like the proverbial "ship without a rudder." There is power in your purpose and in your goals. It is the power that takes you over obstacles, the fuel that propels you toward the life you envision.

One of my favorite passages of James Allen is one he wrote in "The Mastery of Destiny":

"All successful people are people of purpose. They hold fast to an idea, a project, a plan, and will not let it go; they cherish it, brood upon it, tend and develop it; and when assailed by difficulties, they refuse to be beguiled into surrender; indeed, the intensity of the purpose increases with the growing magnitude of the obstacles encountered." And that's worth thinking about.

我們多少次聽到過這樣的論點(diǎn)：大多數(shù)人在規(guī)劃假期上花的時(shí)間比他們?cè)谝?guī)劃自己生活上花的時(shí)間要多。 我為這一觀點(diǎn)做了一點(diǎn)延伸：大多數(shù)的人在"考慮"假期上花的時(shí)間比他們?cè)诳紤]人生中重要的事情上花的時(shí)間要多。
雖然休息和放松是平衡的生活方式必須的元素，但是我們并不是為了它們而活著。畢竟，偉大的造物主在前6天的"明確的方向性思考"后，第7天才休息和放松。華萊士　D.　華佗士，寫道"沒有任何一種體力勞動(dòng)能夠使大多數(shù)人望而卻步，但連續(xù)不斷地持久思考卻能做到這一點(diǎn)；它是這世界上最困難的工作。" 卻也是取得成功首先要做的重要的勞動(dòng)。
我的朋友邁克里曼寫了一篇杰出的文章。名字叫做"百萬富翁的構(gòu)造"，其中分析了超級(jí)成功者與其他人的一個(gè)重要區(qū)別，他寫道"我最近拜訪了一位房地產(chǎn)界的杰出富翁。你們猜我看見他桌旁放了些什么？他對(duì)自己夢(mèng)想的描述和一張列有生活中值得珍惜之物的清單－－都是手寫的。
"幾個(gè)月前，我采訪了另一位獲得巨大成功的商人，他通過電視節(jié)目賣出的產(chǎn)品總價(jià)值超過10億美元。他告訴我：每天他都思考生活和事業(yè)中自己的夢(mèng)想與目標(biāo)，他花時(shí)間將他想要實(shí)現(xiàn)的理想在腦海中形象化－－每晚睡覺前都這樣做。"
你的人生目標(biāo)和個(gè)人使命是什么？你把它們都寫下來了嗎？你經(jīng)常回顧并思考它們嗎？你的生活是圍繞著理想和一系列相關(guān)的目標(biāo)而安排的嗎？如果沒有理想和目標(biāo)－－明確的方向性思考－－你就會(huì)象俗語說的："一條沒有舵的船"。理想和目標(biāo)中蘊(yùn)含著力量。它是使你越過障礙的力量，它是推動(dòng)你向美好生活前進(jìn)的燃料。
在詹姆士艾倫的文章中，有一段我很喜歡，摘自"命運(yùn)的主人"：
"所有成功人士都有清晰的理想和目標(biāo)。他們緊緊把握一個(gè)點(diǎn)子，一項(xiàng)工程，或一個(gè)劃，絕不讓它溜走；珍視它，讓它慢慢發(fā)芽，呵護(hù)它，讓它成長；當(dāng)困難襲來時(shí)，他們絕不投降；甚至，追求理想的熱情隨著遭遇阻礙的強(qiáng)度而愈發(fā)增長。"這是值得我們思索的。