Did January 1st come and go a little too quickly? Was hanging this year’s Christmas lights really easy since you never quite got them down last year? Well then this blog’s for you!
We all have dreams or visions of what we would like to be, but very few of us actually have a plan to get there. We need to have both.
Proverbs 29:28 KJV
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
When you don’t have a plan, life tends to happen to you rather than you taking charge and living the life you were meant to live. Hence the annual resolution ritual. It starts with good intentions and ends... typically before the end of the month.
If you are looking for a very solid, professional, and free resource to help go beyond just goal setting, Michael Hyatt, the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, offers his wonderful eBook, Creating Your Personal Life Plan available for free download. This is perhaps the best resource I have used in developing real and meaningful plans for my life. I highly recommend it.
If however, you are looking for something a little more DIY, I would like to offer these tips I have found helpful in my own life.
Start with the end in mind.
Just like target practice is pointless without a target, you need an idea of where you realistically want to be. Take time to formulate an idea of where you would like to use these goals as a structure to take you...
Clarify with God’s Word
I use this as a means of evaluating my goals and when I am looking for inspiration on what goals to shoot for I always go straight to the Bible, particularly Jesus words, specifically this verse:
Luke 10:27
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind... Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.”
This provides a complete outline for every area of life:
(please be kind greek scholars, this is a working framework, not a specific one:)
Heart = Emotional
Soul = Spiritual
Strength = Physical
Mind = Intellectual
Neighbor = Relational
Pray for God's direction.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Make SMARTY PANTS goals
Paul J. Meyer is famously credited for developing the SMART goals concept. Which I have found to be very helpful. I have added a few added criteria that have helped me to successfully achieve my goals. You can find the specifics on SMART goals here.
Specific - Significant, stretching, simple
Measurable - meaningful, motivational, manageable
Attainable - Appropriate, Achievable, Ambitious
Relevant - Realistic, Resourced
Timely - Time oriented, Timed
Yours - Make sure the You you are trying to be is a You you want to be and a You you can live with. The only person who should define the trajectory of your life other than you is God, and his plans are perfect. Jeremiah 29:11
Passion - Connect your emotion to the pursuit of this goal and reward yourself in the vein of your passions.
Accountability - Nothing provides more motivation than someone who can hold you accountable for your progress. Don't think of your safety, pick someone who loves you enough to hurt you. Proverbs 27:6
Notes - Keep track of your progress, this will help you stay on track and will provide motivation when it wanes.
Teachable - Learn from your mistakes and failures. Go ahead and write this down YOU WILL FAIL. If not your goals might not be challenging enough to be any good. When you do fail, take stock and learn from your failure grow from that moment, and then go on.
Step-by-step - Incremental progress takes time, develops character, and usually is more likely to lead to lasting change. We are inspired and captivated by overnight success primary because it happens so rarely. (OK maybe because we're a bit lazy too!)
Luke 10:27 + Prayer + SMARTY PANTS goal setting = a great plan for the next year of your life!
I take a few weeks every year to review my progress on the previous year’s goals and then use this process to create new ones. What do you do? I would love to hear your thoughts on goal setting as we continue into the new year!
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