Whenever you board an airplane, you always have a destination in mind. So did Captain Sullenberger on January 15, 2009 when he was piloting US Airways flight 1549 from New York’s LaGuardia to Charlotte, NC. There was never any intention of ending up in a river. History tells another story , however—a miraculous controlled landing on the Hudson River.

Now imagine boarding a flight and shortly after takeoff you hear the following announcement from the captain: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board...we’re so glad you joined us. Instead of heading toward our intended destination we’ve decided to fly around for awhile until our fuel runs out, going everywhere, anywhere, and possibly nowhere. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.”

I guarantee you’d forget about finishing your sodoku or crossword puzzle, talking to your new friend across the aisle, or anticipating the onboard flight service. You’d probably get busy looking for a parachute and a way to jump out of that aircraft!

Such a flight plan is both ludicrous and dangerous. Yet, as Tom James once said: “Most people spend more time planning their grocery shopping than designing their future.” In other words, most of us have not put serious thought into planning our future around our life purpose. We have grocery lists but no purpose lists.

The “flight path” for our lives—going where we want to go—is probably the most important plan for us to figure out. This is not just about our destination, however, but also about the journey. Beginning with the end in mind is important but so is the quality of our journey.

[In future posts we’ll continue discussing numerous issues surrounding this crucial and essential topic.]