I recently had a conversation with one of my former class mate. He has been out of school for a 20 years now but isn't satisfied with the direction his career has taken. In fact, he's not too happy with personal life either. His voice developed more than a touch of complains as he said: "I don't know what to do."

So I asked him about his goals. His response was a rather slack-jawed look of surprise. "Goals?" Well at least he wasn't whining anymore.

I asked him where he'd like to see his life in a few years. He knew the answers to those questions and quickly became animated as he discussed his desire to start his own business. We talked about what he would need to accomplish his goal and what would have to change.

When we parted ways he felt a lot better about his job because he knew that he wasn't trapped in it. He was taking a necessary step to prepare himself for a long-term goal. He had his eye on the prize and that focus energized him.

That is the power of goals. What are your goals? There are seven reasons why you need to have goals.

~ To give direction to life
~ To make sure we are the one choosing the direction of our life -- not others, not fate, not the media, etc.
~ To motivate
~ To make sure we get what we want from life
~ To save time
~ To reduce stress
~ To give a sense of accomplishment

While it can be fun to live without direction in the short-term, in the long-term human beings are wired to need a purpose and direction. Goals give a sense of direction and purpose to life.

It is often easy to let others set our direction for us. We take a job because family or friends point us in that direction and then we follow the dictates of our boss. We move in other directions because popular culture or the media tells us to do so. The simple truth is that if we do not set our own goals then we will find it too easy to follow a path set by others. This can lead to stress and unhappiness. We have a greater chance of happiness and fulfillment following our own path and pursuing our own goals.

While goals certainly give our lives direction they also provide the motivation to get us through difficult times and choices. Perhaps going to college at night while working full-time may be stressful and difficult in the short-term, but in the long run being able to pursue the professional goals we desire will make it worthwhile.

Goals also serve as the destination for what we really want out of life. For some people goals are measured in money or material goods, while for others goals are measured in time or freedom. If we do not have goals outlined that suit our unique perspective on life it is easy to become sidetracked by life and others.