It amazes me how few people in life take a day, or even an hour, to think about life and write down goals. A research study by Dr. David Kohl, a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, showed that 80% of people have no goals. Like none.

Shockingly, only 4% of people have written goals.

According to the study, this elite 4% with written goals will make 9x more over their lifetimes than those without goals.

It’s no wonder so many people feel aimless; they have no plans to turn their wishes into realities. Like the old saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

I realized the power of written goals after reading an article about John Goddard as a young teenager. As a 15-year-old, Goddard wrote down 127 goals for places he wanted to visit, things he wanted to accomplish, mountains he wanted to climb, and cultures he wanted to study. These include everything from exploring the Nile, learning to fly a plane, catching a 10 lbs. lobster, visiting the moon, running a 5-minute mile, photographing the travels of Marco Polo, and riding an ostrich.

The list is impressive and audacious, but the results are what’s truly remarkable. Years later, he has now accomplished 109 of his goals. (He still has yet to make it to the moon)

Goddard’s story inspired me. I created my own list at age 16 (although mine was much smaller and short-term). Maybe I’ll share some of mine later, but check out the rest of Goddard’s list and start dreaming about what you want to accomplish in life!

John Goddard’s Life List