So often I hear people say, “Tony, where do you get your energy? With all that intensity, no wonder you’re so successful. I just don’t have your drive; I guess I’m not motivated. I guess I’m lazy.”

    My usual response is, “You’re not lazy! You just have impotent goals!”

    Frequently, I get a confused look to this response, at which point I explain that my level of excitement and drive come from my goals. Every morning when I wake up, even if I feel physically exhausted from lack of sleep, I’ll still find the drive I need because my goals are so exciting to me. They get me up early, keep me up late, and inspire me to marshal my resources and use everything I can possibly find within the sphere of my influence to bring them to fruition. The same energy and sense of mission is available to you now, but it will never be awakened by puny goals. The first step is to develop bigger, more inspiring, more challenging goals.

    We all have goals. The problem is that we are unconscious in our use of these resources. We get caught up in the trap of making a living rather than designing a life. Most people’s goals are to “pay the lousy bills,” to get by, to survive, to make it through the day. Do you think these goals will give you the power to tap the vast reserve of power within you? Hardly! You and I must remember that our goals affect us, whatever they are. If we don’t consciously plant the seeds we want in the gardens of our minds, we’ll end up with weeds! Weeds are automatic; you don’t have to work to get them.

    If we want to discover the unlimited possibilities within us, we must find a goal big enough and grand enough to challenge us to push beyond our limits and discover our true potential.