Suppose you wanted to take a trip somewhere. What is the first thing that you do? You would get a map showing your destination, of course. Now you can see clearly how to get to where you want to go.

Next comes the planning phase. You wouldn't just get in your vehicle and drive or hop on a bus or a train or plane and hope for the best. No. You would plan a route. Fundamental to that would be the fact that you need to recognize your starting point. You cannot choose a direction before you know exactly where you are. So, to arrive at a destination point we need to know the point of origin. Only then can we fill in the gaps between.

Say, for instance, that you want to get to town F and you are starting from town A. Your first check point is town B. After that comes towns C, D and E. By monitoring your route along the way you can be assured of reaching your chosen destination.

Sometimes along the journey we take a wrong turn. When this happens we need to check our map. If we don't, we just keep going in the wrong direction. Naturally this happens most often when we either don't consult our map often enough or we simply don't have a map. Checking the map allows us to "get back on track."

It is a fairly well known fact that all airplanes are "off-target" most of the time. However, minor adjustments along the way ensure that the plane travels along the general flight path until it arrives at its location. Failure to make a one or two degree adjustment could cause the plane to be hundreds of miles off course. The same happens with the steering wheel of a car. Failure to make adjustments will see you end up in a ditch on the side of the road.

But what about your life? That is the biggest journey of them all. Why do so many people just blunder their way along without any plan? So many people have no goals, no plan, no checkpoints - nothing. Yet they expect to arrive at some fanciful destination called success.

Write yourself a plan. Mark in the checkpoints - A, B, C, D, E, F and so on. Monitor your progress. Measure it against time. If you do this you will be so far in front of the masses who not only have no idea where they are going but have no idea where they are. Remember, be realistic about your starting point and your destination point. Filling in the checkpoints just becomes a matter of course then.

Take the "Journey of Life" and don't forget the roadmap. It's so much easier when you know where you are going.

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson lives in Perth, Western Australia.

His passions are writing (of course), reading, karate, body building, investment and growing tropical palms.

His website is devoted to helping people achieve greater success and self esteem through personal development.

Gary is a regular contributor to numerous magazines and newspapers. His articles and short stories appear in many forums. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, they are now being shared worldwide.

He has written eight books:

LARGE VOLUMES:

- "Journey,Life and Destiny" - personal development (2 vols)

- "How to Save $1000's and Increase Your Personal Net Wealth"

- "Brain Training - Affirmations to Strengthen Mind and Body"

- "Strike Back 1" - Self Defence Instruction Manual

- "Strike Back 2" - Self Defence Instruction Manual

SHORT VOLUMES:

- "The Power of Choice" (FREE e-book) - a popular story about a man looking back on his achievements from the hereafter. It is a poignant story that has received accolades from all over the world - from Iceland to Canada to Great Britain to Morocco to New Zealand to the Czech Republic to the USA - and dozens of countries in between.

The Power of Choice is a free resource and can be downloaded directly from Gary's website.

- "Using Motivation and Self Esteem to Excel in Everything You Do" (FREE e-book) - valuable resource to introduce newcomers to the wonders of personal development. This book is available on request. You can secure your copy by leaving your name and email address (no "hotmail" addresses accepted) at his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website.

Gary's unique approach has been shaped by his 35 year pursuit of karate and his 15 year study of the principles of motivation. He has two personal mottos. These are:

"Excellence of Execution."

and

"Imagination is Infinite."

You can learn a great deal about all matters regarding motivation and self esteem at his website. You will find articles, interviews with achievers, motivational messages and other material. You can even opt to receive free material by visiting the "zenspiration" page.

The Motivation and Self Esteem for Success website was constructed by Linda Caroll who Gary has called the "Kyoshi of Website Design" (In karate terminology Kyoshi means "Polished Master"). Visit Gary's website to see for yourself.