Effective Goal Setting - There's No Need to Cheat Death to Appreciate Life

If you narrowly avoided death, how different would life be? Would you set any meaningful goals?

We know from the media interviews how many of the 155 passengers and crew aboard US Airways Flight 1549 answer this question. Every one of them survived landing in New York's icy river in what has become known as the Miracle of the Hudson, thanks to their amazing pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger.

Taking off from La Guardia Airport on a routine journey to Charlotte, North Carolina, their plane suffered a bird strike at 3,200 feet, knocking out both engines and, effectively, turning it into a 77-tonne glider that was dropping at 18 feet a second. At 500 feet, the passengers were told: "Brace for impact."

Some prayed while others phoned or sent text messages to loved ones. When they survived the impact, they feared they might die in the water.

Those who shared their story acknowledged that life would be different from this point. A common comment was that they had been "touched by a miracle" that had told them they still had much to do with their lives. They had important goals. One passenger seized her "second chance" telling interviewers shortly after the incident that she and her husband had registered to adopt a child.

If these people didn't know how to make the most of life before that life-defining incident, they do now.

Paul McGee, international speaker, author and creator of the SUMO - Shut Up, Move On personal development programme, can relate to this. He recalls the time he went home for some sleep after his wife had an emergency operation. Medical staff said they would send a police officer if they needed him urgently.

At 3am, an officer knocked and Paul feared that his wife had been taken from him after only a year of marriage. The reality was different. His car had been stolen and abandoned. He went from despair to joy in seconds. The police officer could not understand why someone was rejoicing because their car had been stolen.

Paul said: "That reminded me of what is of real lasting value in my life. Possessions can be replaced, people can't. Creating and enjoying a brilliant life is something I want to experience with someone close to me."

"Focus on what is important. That is much harder to do when you haven't thought about what is actually important."

After that incident, he lost his job through chronic fatigue syndrome but fought back by starting his own successful business. "I am waking up to the fact that life is a privilege and with privilege comes responsibility," he added.

Paul has a final thought for readers of his book SUMO - the Straight Talking Guide to Creating and Enjoying a Brilliant Life.

"You may remember watching quiz shows when the contestant fails to win the main prize. At the end of the programme, the still-smiling quiz master proclaims: 'Look what you could have won.'

"At the end of my show on this planet, I don't want to be told: 'Look what you could have won, look what you could have done, look what you could have become."

Mervin Straughan runs http://www.mygoalsbuddy.com, a free-to-use web site where goal setters are invited to declare their goals publicly and encourage others. The site offers advice on how to set goals and stay motivated.

Mervin is a management consultant and coach based in the United Kingdom where he runs StraughanConsulting - http://www.straughanconsulting.co.uk - which specialises in corporate communications, corporate social responsibility and corporate coaching.