Every time one of my students sets a goal, I ask them one very important question.

Why? Why do you want to achieve this specific goal? 

The ‘why’ behind the goal is sometimes even more important than the goal itself. 

The other day, I came across this amazing video, created by Ben Lionel Scott.

And right at the one-minute mark, there’s a clip by Robin Sharma that was incredibly profound. 

You should really take a few minutes and watch it. The entire video is amazing. But you can click on the link below to start it at the one-minute mark. 

In this clip, Robin Sharma made a powerful statement.

“Success is incredibly important. But even more important than success is having an impact. It’s knowing you haven’t walked the planet in vain. It’s knowing that because you have been here, you’ve blessed lives, you’ve developed people, and you have made the world a better place.” 

We all have hopes in life. 

And hopefully, we allow ourselves to dream big for our future. 

Dreaming big isn’t always easy. 

It takes courage to allow yourself to believe that things can be better and that you’re capable of achieving more.

However, dreaming alone won’t bring goals to fruition.

In order to turn your dreams into reality, it’s vitally important to turn those dreams into goals—and that you then write down those goals and commit to the discipline it takes to achieve them.

Goals are the roadmap to success. 

But see, this question of figuring out the ‘why’ behind the goal fits in perfectly with Robin Sharma’s statement.

These questions live at the very foundation of your dreams.

And it’s crucial to understand the answers to them for yourself if you want to give yourself your best chance for creating the life you want.

A lot of people set goals because they want things. 

• They want more money. 
• They want nicer cars. 
• They want nicer houses. 
• They want a more lavish lifestyle, etc. 

And to a point, there’s nothing wrong with this. 

However, we live in a world that’s growing increasingly materialistic—and in all of this materialism, many people lose sight of the purpose behind it all. 

Many people lose sight of the ‘why’ behind the money, the nice cars, and the nice houses.

There’s nothing wrong with doing well for yourself. 

But at the end of the day, whether you have a million dollars to your name or $100 to your name, there’s still a very relevant question to be asked—and Robin Sharma, in this very brief, yet powerful clip, communicates this quite effectively. 

Who are you going to be as you set goals and commit yourself to the process of achieving those goals? 

It’s so important to keep this question at the heart of your process.

Ask yourself why these things matter to you, and how they serve a grander purpose not just in your life, but also in your community—and even in the world. 

If you dig down just a little bit, you’ll often find that some of the most successful people in the world are also the most generous. 

Many of the highest earners, the people who have the most money, the nicest cars, and the most lavish houses, also give the most (by a vast margin) to nonprofit organizations, to the needy, and to the poor.

Why? 

Well, partly because they can afford to. 

But the truth of the matter is that it often goes much deeper. Most successful people aren’t generous because they’re rich. Most of these people have achieved their riches, in part, as a result of the meaning and purpose behind their natural attitudes toward generosity. 

In fact, this is something that I’ve discovered in my own life.

When you choose to be the type of person who cares about other people, and who believes in serving other people to make the world a better place, you set yourself up for the greatest chance of achieving your goals. 

I believe that this is what Robin Sharma was striving to convey in that clip, and I believe it to be a universal truth.

Seek first to serve your community and your fellow human neighbors—and then, as a consequence, you will find that accomplishing your dreams and your goals will become that much more realistic. 

I truly believe that this is fundamental to the process. 

So today, ask yourself these questions as you write down your goals and dreams for the future. 

Why do you want these things? And what kind of person do you want to be at the core of it all?

And lastly…

How do you plan to make a lasting impact with your life, and leave the world a better place as a result?

It really matters. 

Best wishes…

Jay O’Donnell

P.S. To learn more about how to serve others and give back to your community as you set your goals and strive for success, check out this post: Purpose Goals – Answering The ‘Why’ Behind Your Goals. 

That post will teach you how to care about something greater than yourself. It discusses not only how serving others makes us happier, but also how important it is to orient your life toward a mindset of service and purpose, as opposed to just focusing on the more materialistic elements of what goal setting can accomplish.