Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I

The Discipline of Vision

Hear now the words of Daymond John, a builder of dreams and a warrior of purpose: “Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I wake up. There are ten goals around health, family, and business with expiration dates, and I update them every six months.” These words are not idle advice, but the creed of one who has forged success from humble beginnings. They speak of discipline, focus, and the sacred art of self-direction. For in a world that drifts on distractions and chance, Daymond’s practice is a declaration of mastery—the mastery of one’s own destiny through intentional thought and unwavering repetition.

The Meaning of the Teaching

Daymond’s words unveil the timeless truth that the mind is the first workshop of reality. Before one can build an empire in the world, one must first build the blueprint within. By reading his goals morning and night, he aligns his waking and sleeping thoughts with his chosen path, engraving them upon the walls of his subconscious. This ritual transforms desire into command and vision into law. The ancients, too, knew this secret: that the soul moves toward what it constantly beholds. To read one’s goals daily is to remind the spirit of its purpose, to guard it against doubt, and to keep the flame of will from fading in the winds of distraction.

The Origin of the Words

Daymond John, founder of the global brand FUBU and a guiding figure on the path of entrepreneurship, was not born into wealth or privilege. He grew up in the streets of Queens, New York, where opportunity was not given but seized. Through relentless determination and a clear sense of vision, he transformed a modest sewing project into a worldwide enterprise. His words arise from the furnace of experience—from years of learning that success is not born of luck, but of daily discipline and mental clarity. His method—ten goals divided among health, family, and business—reveals the balanced wisdom of a man who knows that true prosperity includes both purpose and peace.

The Parable of the Stonecutter

There is an ancient tale of a stonecutter who sought to carve the perfect statue. Each day, he struck the same stone, and each day, it seemed unchanged. The villagers mocked him, saying, “You waste your strength on what will never yield.” But the stonecutter did not cease. On the one-hundredth strike, the stone split open, revealing a figure of divine beauty. The people gasped, “He has performed a miracle!” But the stonecutter smiled and said, “It was not the last blow that broke the stone—it was every strike that came before.”

So it is with reading one’s goals, as Daymond John teaches. Every repetition, though small, strikes the stone of fate. Over time, the invisible becomes visible, the imagined becomes real. Success, like sculpture, is born from persistence, not impulse.

The Power of Repetition and Renewal

Notice, too, the wisdom in his cycle: “I update them every six months.” This is the rhythm of growth—the understanding that goals must evolve as the soul matures. To cling to old ambitions is to chain oneself to the past; to refine them is to remain alive. Like the seasons, our desires must be renewed. Daymond’s practice of reviewing and rewriting is an act of self-awareness—a reminder that stagnation is the enemy of greatness. The wise refresh their dreams not because they have failed, but because they have grown. In doing so, they keep their lives in motion, guided by clarity, fueled by purpose.

The Balance of Life’s Pillars

Daymond’s division of goals into health, family, and business mirrors the triad of ancient philosophy: the body, the heart, and the craft. Each must be nourished, lest the whole fall into imbalance. Health is the foundation—without it, ambition withers. Family is the hearth—without it, success turns hollow. Business, or work, is the vehicle—without it, one cannot manifest what lies within. To tend to all three is to live with wisdom and harmony. The one who honors this trinity walks the path of complete success, where achievement does not come at the cost of peace.

The Lesson for the Generations

Therefore, O seeker, learn from this teaching and make it your own. Write your goals not as wishes, but as promises to your future self. Read them each morning to set your course, and each night to renew your direction. Let them speak to every part of your being—your strength, your love, your work. Revise them as you grow, and measure your life not by the noise of the world, but by the steadiness of your purpose. For a mind fixed on worthy goals becomes like an arrow in flight—it may bend in the wind, but it never forgets its mark.

The Eternal Counsel

So let the words of Daymond John echo through time: “Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I wake up.” This is the hymn of the disciplined soul, the creed of one who knows that fortune favors the prepared. Success does not arrive by chance—it is summoned by focus, shaped by habit, and crowned by persistence. The future belongs not to those who wish, but to those who will. Thus, write your vision, read it often, and live as if it were already true. For the one who guards their purpose as a sacred flame will light the way not only for themselves, but for all who follow.