2018 is now a year that has slipped into the pile of calendars past. As you reviewed and recalled the past year, I hope it brought you pleasant memories and a feeling of great satisfaction. I hope that there were resolutions you set that you kept. I truly hope you lost that unwanted extra weight. I hope you overcame that bad habit you were determined to kick and I hope that dreams came true and goals were realized.
As I look back, I am pleased that I was able to accomplish some very big goals. However, I also realize that I need to improve my goal setting. I was not as clear and specific as I should have been. I had a plan but not a clear idea of how to work that plan. I had dreams and desires but lacked the specific steps I could take to make those dreams come true.
Too many people begin the new year with the same resolutions they had the previous year. Many people may have given up making any resolutions feeling defeated before they ever begin. We tend to start out with determination and somewhere around February we’re off our diet, we’ve skipped the gym for the past two weeks and the family time we wanted hasn’t happened at all. Don’t feel guilty. Don’t believe the lie that you are defeated. Instead, write some goals. Resolutions are not goals. They are the desire from which goals are birthed. Few of us are resolute enough to stick with a resolution without a plan of action to help us.
“A goal without a plan is only a wish.”
Wishes and dreams can come true, just turn them into goals with a plan. Today I am offering you a very condensed version of how to set goals. There are entire books on the subject and I recommend you check some of them.
· Start by listing your dreams and wishes. These are the seeds. You will plant these by turning them into goals and creating a plan of action.
· Write down your goals in each of the following areas.
1. Physical – These goals include weight goals, exercise goals and health goals.
2. Business – These goals include areas where you want to accomplish something specific within your existing job or if there is a job you’d like to get. These goals could also pertain to financial goals you have for your business income. These can also include goals for further education, conferences or business travel.
3. Spiritual – These goals include the steps you want to take to spend more time with Jesus. These include Bible reading goals and prayer time goals. You may want to include books you’d like to read or study or conferences you’d like to attend. Always remember when setting these goals that Jesus is alive. Your main goal should be to know Him more and have a deeper relationship with Him. It’s all about relationship.
4. Family – These goals include the desires you have for your family. What is your family mission statement? Set goals that line up with your family’s purpose. Include goals for time spent together. Include leisure time goals and vacation goals.
5. Self-Improvement – These goals include habits you’d like to eliminate or that you’d like to establish. Are there areas you want to improve? Do you desire more knowledge in a certain area? Do you want to be more adventurous or brave? Set goals in these areas.
6. Leisure and Travel – What fun things do you want to do this year? What travels do you want to take? Set goals for more quiet time in your life. Set goals to be sure you have time for leisure time.
7. Relationships – These goals include what you desire from the relationships in your life. As you reviewed the relationships from the past year what where you lacking? What did you want more of in terms of your relationships? Include specific times and days that you will make available for friends. Include areas you want to improve in such as being a better listener, being more giving or reaching out more.
Use the review sheet you filled out from last week. As you reviewed your year you may have seen areas you wanted to change or do better in. Let this be a foundation for your goal setting. Once you have listed the goals you want to achieve create a plan for each one. I offer this example: Goal: To travel to Hawaii December 28 – January 11 2020 for my 60th birthday.
· Research Islands, choose destination by July 2019
· Determine Cost of airfare, research best time to book flight
· Find vacation rental. Find out how far in advance it must be booked.
· Research things we’d like to do.
· Establish weight loss goals and health goals to correspond with this goal.
· Create saving budget to have funds by booking dates.
This is just an example. It is just a beginning but if I want to actually go to Hawaii for my 60th birthday I need to not just dream about it but set goals so I can get there. Do your best to set time frames and deadlines. The more specific you can be the better chance you have of achieving your goal.
I’m excited for the coming year. I have big goals for my writing career and I’m excited to share the adventure with you. Take the time to write your own goals so that you too can have a year filled with thrills, romance and adventure. It all starts with a goal.
I’d love to hear from you! Share some of your goals with us. Declaring your goal here may be a great boost. Sometimes we keep our goals quiet, afraid to declare them because that would mean we need to stop dreaming and take action. YOU CAN DO IT!! So declare it today and let’s all take the action we need to make 2019 a year of accomplished goals.