Foreword

In the autumn of 1996, I still remember that faithful week and a half when it all happened. My business went belly-up. They came to repossess my car. The landlord, eviction notice in hand, came knocking on my door. And my ex-wife packed up her things, saying, "I’m leaving."

But throughout this time, I had a flash of insight. One that changed the way I was thinking but didn’t realize it until later.

You see, Drop Your Goals And Manage Your Life is the result of years of writing in my journals, both prior to that event and following it. Why? Because…

… I Was Desperate to Succeed.

In a way, I wanted to prove to myself that I can succeed, and thus refute my abusive father, now institutionalized with Korsakov’s Syndrome (a mental illness caused from years of alcoholism), who kept labeling me as a failure.

With so many late nights spent at the office, I was the proverbial workaholic. And after that faithful event in 1996, it occurred to me the real meaning of success.

And yes, I finally did achieve it.

But it wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t some event, acquiring some material possession or reaching some objective. I did it in a far more powerful way. A happier, peaceful way, that is.

And after re-reading my entries in my journal, I decided to put it all together in a book written close to 10 years ago. It’s about the power of managing one’s time around one’s core values. I prefer to call these "guides" and not "goals." Or simply, your priorities.

In my current business, as a marketing consultant and copywriter, I often talk about the power of writing in journals and setting value-based goals. I even wrote marketing articles about it.

And lately, I thought about doing this. You see, I may have written that book many years ago. But I never wanted to release or publish it because…

… This is NOT Your Average Marketing Book.

Admittedly, it may be a little "out there" for some people. Perhaps a little metaphysical. A little spiritual. A little motivational. A little "higher consciousness" related. And I respect that. While this might not be appealing to some, for others this book about how to stop setting "goals" and start setting "guides" instead (i.e., your priorities) might be the most powerful, life-changing book you have ever read.

I wrote this book as a way to teach myself, in my life, and a way to go through some of the hardships I was going through at the time. It’s about increasing your self-esteem, living a life of purpose and stop "managing your time" and focus on managing your life instead.

In fact, the book is entitled, "Drop Your Goals And Manage Your Life! (Rather Than Set Your Goals And Manage Your Time: A Plan For Giving Back The Quality Your Life Deserves)." And now, with current events in my life and the recent changes I made to my career, this book has more meaning to me and the people around me than ever before.

I used to sell it for $30. Well, being a tad nostalgic this week and ruminating and rummaging through my old stuff on my PC, I found an old copy, changed my contact info at the end, and converted it to a website…

… And I’ve decided to give away free copies!

I also believe in karma, in that what goes around, comes around. So please, if you want to pass it along, reprint it, give it away, send people to this website, email it to friends, distribute it… Go right ahead!

An Introduction to This Book.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have you ever tried to accomplish as much as possible but felt you were going nowhere? Well, you’re not alone.

I felt like that many times in my life. And today, unfortunately, many people who follow this “do-as-much-as-you-can” philosophy never get to enjoy the really important things or the things that really matter.

Drop Your Goals and Manage Your Life! is a book dedicated to those kinds of people. It has served me well and I have practically turned my life around because of it. However, the ideas discussed in this book are not born yesterday. Benjamin Franklin, Jesus, the Buddha, Socrates, and Aristotle have also taught them in their own times. However, it seems that they are now needed more than ever.

Enjoy the book. But most important, enjoy your life. To me, that’s the true meaning of life. If the book has helped you as much as it has helped me, please drop me a note. Write me or email me at michel@successdoctor.com. I welcome any comments or suggestions, even those I can use in future works.

Yours sincerely,

Michel Fortin
The Success Doctor™
SuccessDoctor.com

P.S.: Please read with an open mind.