The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and the determination to attain it.

Either half alone goes nowhere. An aim without persistence becomes a story you tell at dinner, and persistence without an aim becomes busy years that add up to nothing in particular. The pair together is rarer than it sounds, because choosing one destination means surrendering the comfort of keeping every door open. Commitment is the part most people skip while calling it flexibility.

Write down what you are actually working toward in one plain sentence. If you cannot, that is the first job. If you can, name the next thing you will refuse in order to protect it.