What determines whether or not a task or objective can be achieved is control.

Someone once said "Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." That's not what highly motivated people say, that's just the truth; despite the fact that we tend to dismiss things as impossible. The key element is control and it is critical to differentiate between wishes and goals.

What are wishes? 

Wishes are objectives based on variables that you DO NOT control. For example, I wish that the weather was always perfect and there were no storms. This is based on variables which I have NO control over so it's only a wish, it cannot be a goal.

Wishes are harmless but problems arise when we remain in wish mode, or treat wishes like goals.

Notice I have not used the word dreams. That was deliberate because there is a difference. Dreams are the beginning of the concept. The big idea usually comes from a dream. Carlos Slim, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Donald Trump all had dreams, which were transformed into goals and then success came through achievement of these goals. Dreams can be so compelling that they inspire action. Wishes on the other hand are like mere whims.

Every achievement was the product of a goal, which was the product of a dream.

Wishes are based on variables that you DO NOT control. Remember, the key is CONTROL.

Goals are based on variables that you DO control. If I intend to exercise for 30 minutes a day to lose weight, this is a goal. I can therefore say that my goal is to exercise for thirty minutes a day because I have control over the amount of time I spend exercising. I can also set a goal of losing 10 pounds in two or three months. Again, this is a goal because the amount of food I eat and exercise I do are both variables which I control.

If I intend to get a certain mark on an exam, then that would be a goal because I control the amount of studying and preparation that I do. The same applies to starting a business. I may not be capable of making consumers patronize by coercion, but I do control the amount of research I do, thus I'm directly responsible for the amount of knowledge that I acquire. I also control the quality of the product and marketing, so I can strongly influence the perception that consumers have of the product.

Customer satisfaction will soar if I attend to their complaints, but a bad reputation will follow if ignore them.

My subscription to Norton Internet Security expired so I decided renew it online. After installing the new one, I realized that it was a Spanish version (I know very silly). This is the only anti-virus program that I have ever used and I've had no problems, so I decided to order and download another copy, ensuring that this time it was in English. The second one worked fine, but there were two credit card deductions. I emailed the company explaining this and within a few hours a representative actually telephoned me and assured me that I would receive a refund for the package which I was not using.

Whether they do this everyday, I have no clue. What I do know is that I will be using Norton Internet Security for the rest of my life. Customer satisfaction is a variable that they control and it's clear that one of their goals is to attend to consumer issues.

If you have an idea that you intend to develop, then that's most likely a dream. If you have a specific plan as to how you will achieve that idea, then it's now a goal. As long as you are working toward achieving that goal, it's only a matter of time. Control is the key. Ensure that you identify the relevant variables and determine whether you can control them. You will never control everything, but this technique is essential in ensuring that you are on a clear path to living out your dreams. Over - planning never hurt anyone and it's better to have too much food at an event than too little.

As indicated earlier, you will never have complete control over everything. Distinguishing between wishes and goals enables us to avoid the whim/wish state and is an important step in moving smoothly from dreams to action plans.

Even if other people don't see or understand how something will be achieved, as long as YOU see and understand clearly how it will be achieved that's all that matters.

Simple things like passing exams, taking vacations or learning new languages can be wishes if there is NO ACTION PLAN attached. If you come home from work everyday, drop your bags and say I wish I could go on a vacation, there's no action plan. If you save $100 a week, then it becomes a goal and you'll have $10, 400 for a vacation after two years. Students who stare at the covers of their books all year round usually have difficulties during exams.

I do believe in God, but I don't think God sits with a remote control. Our free will and the decisions we make play key roles in our achievements. At high school, a friend of ours never studied and on the morning of our finals, he said he knew nothing but his mother told him to hold his pen and God would guide his hand. He spent the entire exam period waiting for God. Its not that God didn't show up, God was in the exam room, but he (the student) didn't do his part.

Look at it like this; we're all in our own paddleboats and God sends winds. If you paddle with all of your energy, God will send strong winds behind you to push you along. If you don't paddle at all, you probably won't get any winds and if you do, they'll blow you off course because you aren't on any path.

If you are a senior executive in an organization, you should not interpret this as an excuse to dismiss office tension or poor work ethic of employees as variables that you don't control. Even where the behaviour of someone else is concerned, there are variables that you do control.

You are responsible for approaching employees respectfully so that they return that respect. You are also responsible for ensuring that the working environment is one which encourages optimal performance and is peaceful. The same applies to teachers with uninterested students. You are responsible for ensuring that the classroom setting is stimulating.

Remember that control is the key. Set goals and map out action plans which will enable you to achieve them by influencing the variables which you control.