Crystal Ball
Classic Gin
Wednesday, 2006-01-04 | Classic Gin
A character in a movie once remarked that "a plan is just a list of things that never happen."
If this is the case, and a plan is a list, then a "goal" is just a notion or an idea about something that will never happen. And having goals, it seems, is less effective than making plans--a plan is a list and a goal is simply an idea--because when you've made a plan you've done something. Simply inventing goals for yourself... Well, let's just say that "it's fun to play pretend."
There's got to be something on the other side of making plans; if making goals is less effective, then there's got to be something more effective than planning that isn't quite taking action.
I think that thing is writing histories. It's not the easiest logic to follow, but I think making a list of things that already happened is effective in its own way. Taking stock, summing it up--offering a recap. All of these things are more effective than making plans for the future because they concern actual events, not merely hypothetical ones.
So: anyone who wants to do something--take action--ought to keep this in mind. Taking stock is better than making plans and making plans is better than simply have goals.