“If you don’t know where you are going, any road can take you there,” Lewis Carroll once wrote.

Conversely, if you know exactly where you want to go, it’s likely you’ll plot a clear, direct path to that destination.

William Zhang, the 139th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is someone who knows where he’s going, and how he’s going to get there.

William is smart and driven. But the thing that impressed me most was how clearly he can see the road ahead.

One of William’s goals is to become time-wealthy within the next five years. 

Another is to become a mentor to children in poor countries; to show them how much potential they have and inspire them to dream and achieve big dreams.

William also has clear goals around his business, PTC Consulting Engineers, which he founded six years ago. My understanding of William’s plan is that he will turn PTC into a leaner company that has more internal leaders capable of making meaningful decisions.

Interestingly, I have similar goals to William. But my goals are vague and I don’t know how I’ll achieve them. William’s mindset is significantly more advanced than mine – and most people’s.