My first real professional goal that I can remember, was in relations to income. I remember telling my friend and colleague at the time (M. Palsson – who still is my friend…) that one should have an income per month of double the amount of money in thousands of Swedish Kornor as compared to one’s age. I was around 25 years old at the time and it sounded good and ambitious to both of us back then. I reached that fairly quickly and well before my 30th birthday. Today I make substantially more than this ratio. That goal back then was crucial to me though. I realize this now as I am older; I worked towards my goal and by saying it and writing it down, I pulled the goal closer to me. I achieved it faster than I thought I would.
My second major professional goal was to be the boss. I always liked the idea of making the final decisions, telling people what to do and why they should do it. So I told myself that I had to become a Managing Director/CEO, that way I would be the boss. I also put a deadline to this second goal of mine, by latest the end of my 30th year on this planet. I did not know what it meant to be a leader back when I formulated this goal. I did not understand the ramifications of being a leader nor did I know about the hard work required in order to be a great leader. I figured that I would learn to become a great leader as my practical experience increased. I reached my second goal just in time (three months to go before the end of the deadline). This second goal of mine was burning deep within me. I really wanted to achieve this goal of mine. I worked hard at being the best in all the tasks I took on. I did not know how to become a CEO but I figured that hard work, determination and the capability of delivering results would help. I was right!
These two goals of mine made me realize that working without having clarity, vision and goals would be pointless if you wish to achieve things in life. I have now therefore developed clear goals for each of the next ten years. Each year I have different sub goals that I need to reach in order to get me to the final destination: My Self-fulfillment! I believe that working with clarity and written goals will enable you to pull the final goal closer to you. You will achieve in abundance once you know what you wish to achieve and by when. After you have your goals on paper and are committed to achieving them there is only one thing to do; take action, a massive amount of action!
I am now working on a very big goal of mine and the dealine is 2013… I will let you know how that develops 🙂
Good luck in reaching all of your goals!
Life, Business & Leadership! 
I have a story too. I have been fairly ambitious and have set goals small and large through most of my school and college years. After getting a fantastic first job in a large organization, somewhere down the road i stopped setting goals. Call it complacence, or quiet acceptance of a ‘time-bound promotion’ regime. I never stopped working hard, but the motivation behind the work was just an undying thirst to learn, not a ‘goal’ towards which I was working.
Then the event happened which has changed the course of my life. In a diamond business conference, Magnus asked everybody to write their dream- the one goal they want to achieve. I looked around and everybody – employees, directors, my mom, dad, without even thinking for a moment- were able to write their dream. and then Magnus said that he will come around and look at what we have written. I got the heebiejeebies – I had not written anything. Not because I didnt want to, but because I didnt have a dream!! Of course, I had the general desire to be rich and successful and have a great career, but I had no tangible, clear goal. I couldnt write – In x years I want to achieve/get a,b,c. It got me thinking and introspecting. That day I decided that I will set a short term career goal for myself and work towards it and achieve it. So i decided to do a Masters degree in law. And I set a very difficult goal for myself – I will study in only The topmost Law schools in the world and I applied only to Harvard and Stanford in US and Oxford and Cambridge in UK. Most people said I was taking a huge risk, universities like NYU, Columbia, LSE are great places to study. If I didnt get into the Big Four, I would be wasting a whole year!! But well, I have inherited genes from two dreamers-achievers. I dreamt big, set my goal, put my goal in writing and pictures, worked very hard towards it and I did achieve my goal of studying in one of the world’s finest universities.
Thanks for the comment and that great description of the importance of goals… And well done to you for achieving your dream! Fredrik
Thanks..congrats to you too and wishing you the very best for you 2013 goal. Am pretty sure you will achieve it – no matter what it is!
Dear Fredrik,
Thank you for sharing from your own life and making the lesson valuable for thousands of us.
In fact as I read your story I remembered mine too so let me share a bit from my life too. I had lost my dad when I was a kid and then my mom moved to Delhi from a small town called Bhiwani in Haryana. In a snap shot my life had completely changed. I did not get admission in any good school in Delhi cause I could not speak English and was rejected from every school I went to for admission. At that time the only goal I had in my life was to learn to speak English and study in a good school. My sister helped me do this, everyday she would write 5 English sentences on piece of paper and give it to me and all day I would only speak those 5 sentences, if someone asked me anything else other than that I didn’t know what to say, as they say I was dreaming English, drinking English, eating English, thinking English and in a snap shot, my life altered again and I was speaking English, that year I topped my school in two subjects English and Hindi and it was the same school that had earlier rejected me cause I couldn’t speak English. That day I realized the importance of goals and what can be achieved you stay focused. and one of the goals was to be an entrepreneur and Fredrik I want to thank you for contributing to my this goal by supporting me when I chose to move on, you are one of the reasons that gave me a head start when I dared to be an entrepreneur. I will always owe this to you.
I wanted to let you know that I have reached my next goal… My goal was to be, by 2013, responsible for the APAC region… I have done it. I managed it 1 year early… Why – FOCUS – DETERMINATION – HARD WORK and some luck:) I want to thank all people around me who have made this possible. You see, without support, it would not have been possible. Thanks – Cheers and God Bless!
F