Rummaging through old photographs not long ago I found a picture of twin boys that lived next door while I was growing up in South Pasadena, California. The brothers, Steve and Willie; well we’d lost

touch over the years but I found out that Steve had become a millionaire, Willie

a miserable failure, a bum. Staring at that old snapshot I found myself wondering what made such a difference in the lives of two

boys who had such apparently equal chances at success in life. After awhile it dawned on me, and it was a single simple rule.

This is the greatest

surprise that awaits

anyone when a single simple rule can make a difference to reckon with.

Most of us grow up without learning even one or two of life’s essential rules that could lead us to lifelong success. Perhaps, among other important rules many of us didn’t learn was how to set and stay with clear and meaningful goals. Somehow Steve had. I remember when he said he was going to go to summer camp one year even though his parents couldn’t afford it. He wrote his goal down; he put the camp flyer picture up on his bedroom wall; he even earned the money a month ahead of his self-imposed schedule. Not many of us learned how to do those things. Goal setting or how to overcome adversity or even good investment strategies just aren’t taught by most parents or schools. Thinking back, I cannot recall ever learning anything substantial about setting goals, not even from my high school coaches, one of whom was even a prominent coach. And you know, sadly, I never taught my own children the how and importance of good goal

setting either, even though by then I’d learned something about it and had practiced goal setting from time-to-time. — icbs.com