When I was about 12 years old I read the book, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" which my mom gave me as a feel-good gift of encouragement. The best take away I had from it was a short story that stayed with me forever. John Goddard came up with a list of 127 items that he wanted to accomplish in his life. At 73 he's accomplished most of those things.
I remember being terribly impressed with his list and so I came up with one of my own. My list has changed over time and I've added a lot to it. I've also crossed off a few things along the way like getting my Master's, owning a home, and getting a dog. I've also traveled to some awesome places and learned to do some cool things like paint and currently, golf.
These days I keep track of my list, on http://www.mylifelist.org/. This site is super helpful, although to be honest, I really haven't worked out all the kinks with it.
Keeping track of my goals has helped me keep moving into the right direction, although I've learned that spontaneity is still important as well. I can't simply live my life working toward crossing off items on my to do lists.