Research tells us that fewer than 3 percent of Americans have written goals, and less than 1 percent periodically review and restate their goals in response to changing conditions in their lives. What this means is that most people do not have clear directions or destinations in their lives. They go where the winds blow them with no say in the matter. They have no control over their destiny. Swami Vivekananda, the Indian mystic and philosopher, stated, "Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders and know that you are the creator of your own destiny."

About 10 years ago, there was an article in the Fast Company magazine about the "1953 Yale Study of Goals." This study found that people who write down specific goals for their future are far more likely to be successful than those who have either unwritten goals or no specific goals at all.

Mark McCormack, author of What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, wrote, "All successful people have goals, and outstanding high...