The following study was conducted at Yale University in 1953. In that year, a batch of fresh graduates was surveyed, and in this batch, only 3% had their goals written down.

Some of their goals included: 'being a best-selling novelist, starting a computer company and taking it public, running for President etc...'

97% of the students had no clearly defined goals written down. Many of them chose to adopt the 'whatever will be, will be' mindset, possibly popularized by a hit '50s musical titled 'Que Sera Sera' (Whatever will be, will be).

Twenty years later, a follow up study revealed that the 3% of students who wrote down their goals earned a combined income three times greater than the combined income of the 97% who had no goals written down.

This surely shows the incredible power of goal setting.

I can tell you that if I did not sit down 14 years ago and design my life the way that I wanted it to unfold, I certainly wouldn't have achieved what I have right now. I would be somewhere else, probably doing something totally different.

Very often, if we don't have a clear plan for our life, we will fall into somebody else's plan. For most people, it would be our parents' plan: 'Be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer in order to make plenty of money'.

Though it may seem to be (in their view) for our own future good, more often than not it is more of meeting their expectations and sometimes their very own unrealized dreams.

Now, don't we all want the freedom to do and be whatever we choose to become?

When I was first featured in the newspapers as a 26-year old millionaire who's speaking fee commanded a thousand dollars per hour, many of my friends asked me how I was able to command such a high fee within two years of graduating from university.

At age 26, two years after graduation, I had written a best-selling book, started and ran three companies, spoken to thousands of people and made over a million dollars. Most of my peers were either looking for their first job or working for other people for about $2000 + a month.

The irony is that many of these peers and friends are probably just as intelligent, talented and hardworking as I am. The only difference between us was the fact that at age 15, I sat down and scripted out a detailed life plan.

I wrote down exactly what I was going to achieve in the next 10 years of my life.

After scripting out my life plan, I took action and each action I took enabled me to focus all my talents, my intelligence and energies like a laser beam. I use the analogy of a laser beam because I was so energized I felt I could cut through anything that was in my way.

Achieving success rarely ever happens by chance. The roll of the dice never made anyone happy or rich for a long time. It always begins with a clearly defined outcome fuelled by a passionate desire.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, he owns and runs several businesses in education, training, event management and advertising, all with a combined annual turnover of $20 million. His best-selling "Patterns of Excellence" is a complete step-by-step system that will literally program you for success in life.

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