A goal is a dream with a deadline.” That marvelous definition drives home a very important point. Before you start writing down your goals, you’d bet… - Keith Ferrazzi

A goal is a dream with a deadline.” That

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

When I’m in the right frame of mind, I start to create a list of dreams and goals. Some are preposterous; others are overly pragmatic. I don’t attempt to censor or edit the nature of the list — I put anything and everything down. Next to that first list, I write down in a second column all the things that bring me joy and pleasure: the achievements, people, and things that move me. The clues can be found in the hobbies you pursue and the magazines, movies, and books you enjoy. Which activities excite you the most, where you don’t even notice the hours that pass? When I’m done, I start to connect these two lists, looking for intersections, that sense of direction or purpose. It’s a simple exercise, but the results can be profound.

Creativity in business is often nothing more than making connections that everyone else has almost thought of. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just attach it to a new wagon.

Clay Shirky summed it up in 2008, and he’s still right: “The problem isn’t information overload, it’s filter failure.” Our