DAY

24

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”

 — Andrew Carnegie

One way to find happiness is to create goals. Unhappy people tend to be aimless. They are stuck in a cycle of despair that leads nowhere. If you set just one goal, it may become your lifeline out of despair and toward hope. Goal-oriented people have drive and purpose in life. They want to get up in the morning, because they have a plan to make their life better. They are looking forward to what the day will bring, not dreading it.

Your assignment today is to set a really exciting goal. It should be something that will take up your thoughts for awhile and require some imagination and creativity. It can be a totally frivolous goal, but choose something that will make you proud when you’ve achieved it.

Maybe you are short on cash, and your brother’s birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Set a goal to create a unique gift using your own skills and imagination. This few weeks of creativity will liberate your thoughts and will probably lead to ideas in other areas of your life. You might end up so proud of the result that you can’t wait for your brother to open his present.

Happiness does not happen randomly. It is the result of a series of actions. You have the power to make conditions right for happiness. You can choose happiness today by setting a goal that will command your thoughts, liberate your energy, and inspire your hopes.