Deadlines!

I came across a quote today by a Time Management Consultant named Diana Scharf Hunt. She says "Goals are dreams with deadlines."
In the simplicity of this quote, I found myself convicted by how incomplete my goals are. I am a huge proponent of goals and yet I realize now how far off the mark I was in my attempt to play out my future plans. Without deadlines for my goals all I am doing is writing a long "to do" list, whereas had I incorporated realistic deadlines to each of my goals, I would have a more concise "to get done" list.
We all need goals to be successful. Without goals our hopes and ambitions become very sporadic. They become easily influenced and manipulated based on our interests of the moment. But having goals is simply not enough. Our goals must have specific yet realistic deadlines in order to be achieved. Even the most ambitious goal setter can write down dozens of lofty ideals but until these goals are given a Due Date, they just won't get done. Why? Because it's human nature to procrastinate. By assigning a deadline to our goals it creates accountability by removing the "Someday" factor.
"Someday I will run an eight-minute mile." "Someday I will write a book." "Someday I will have $25,000 in my savings account."
All of these are great goals but without deadlines all we're doing is shooting arrows with no target in sight.
Without deadlines goals are nothing more than talk. And as I have said so often, don't tell me, show me.
Your homework today is to revisit your goals and ensure that you have realistic deadlines for each. Even if it takes picking just one and seeing it through, so be it. The rewards you receive will be all the proof you need.