Creating a list of one hundred goals is a monumental task. Before reaching the one hundred mark, completing the list often becomes a goal of its own. I didn’t finish my list in a day or even a week, but eventually I reached one hundred (and it continues to grow!)

Writing a list of goals might seem like a big waste of time and, for some people, it might be. Some people will create a list only to forget about it moments later. It’s understandable. We have “real lives” and chasing after a bunch of goals doesn’t fit into our routine. There’s dinner to be made, bills to be paid and obligations to fulfill. That goal of taking a vacation with your mother isn’t really a priority, and becoming a doctor just isn’t practical when you have to work two jobs just to make ends meet. There’s no time for dreaming…

It’s exactly this attitude which renders the list meaningless … a waste of time. A person can only maximize the value of their list when they’ve altered their perspective about life’s possibilities. The reality isn’t that the list is a waste of time, it’s a person’s attitude that makes it a waste of time. Without belief in yourself and in your abilities, a list of goals changes absolutely nothing. If you don’t believe you can change, you won’t. You’ll become a product of circumstance, and you’ll forfeit control in your life.

Those who dream and believe will find creating a list of goals to be exactly the catalyst they need to change their lives for the better. Cynics may not believe that accomplishing a goal like skydiving or bungee jumping can change someone’s life. I’d argue otherwise. Pursuing goals requires a person to stand up and take a proactive position in their own life. They create opportunity and pursue their passions. They conquer fear and overcome personal weaknesses. No longer is their life a consequence of their surroundings but instead, a result of their efforts.

Those who dream and believe will do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality. They’ll do what it takes to change the aspects of their lives that they are not happy with and will begin living aggressively in pursuit of their desires and ambitions.

Creating your own list of one hundred goals might just be the biggest waste of time that can change your life…forever.