Goals simplify life

Have you set goals for where will you be in 5 years? What will you be doing? Why? Do you have a plan for your life? What are your options? What do you need to prepare?

If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? How will you know what you need and how to prepare for the trip?

Christ knew the plan for His life and so knew He had to keep His life very simple. Do you have an idea of the plan God has for your life?

You may have to stop and figure out how He has wired you, how you are gifted, what you are passionate about and then put this together to determine a path to follow.

Once you have direction you set specific steps for the journey. With these steps in place you will be able to see exactly what you need and what will slow you down.

Goal Setting - Getting Specific

"I aways wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific."

I read this quote by Lilly Tomlin a long time ago but it stuck with me. It made me realize that unless we are very specific about our lives and set specific goals for them, then we will look back and realize that we have not become who we could have been if we'd only planned it out.

This section will be about getting specific about your life and who you are and setting goals to get there. We will examine your dreams, calling, passions and how to take steps to fully live them out.

Dreams, calling and passion

Somewhere in you is a dream of who you could be. It is based upon a calling that God has given you and the uniquely designed skills He has provided for you.

Somewhere in you there is passion. This passion is also a gift of God that, when joined with your calling and skills, enables you to make the dream a reality.

If you look back through your life you will get an inkling of what has made you feel alive. There are those times that you felt that this is what you were made for. They maybe went almost unnoticed because what it was you were doing felt effortless. You were just being who you are.

Maybe it was constructing building with blocks, or assisting or leading at school. Maybe it was reading and understanding in a way that others didn't quite get. Possibly it had to do with caring for others or seeing a powerful snapshot moment that others missed.

Your passion, calling and dream are yours alone. They are what make you uniquely you and finding and living it is what you were made to do.

Goal Setting 101

Where do you want to be in five years? Think about every area of your life and write down what you want to be happening in that area at that time. (You can go to the balanced living page to help you give a name to each area.) The more specific you “see” this picture the clearer you will be able to see the steps to get there.

Write down your dream for each area of your life and be specific. These are your goals.

Now, working backwards, what do you need to have in place in each area five years from now, four years from now, three years, two years, one year, six months, three months and one month from now to reach that goal? What do you need to do today? Write out what you will do (your goals) by each of these specific dates.

Think through the obstacles to reaching your goals so you can think in detail about how to get around, through or overcome them. Don't let obstacles stop you - think them through.

Ask yourself what you need to gain in knowledge or skill to make your goals become a reality. Who do you need to ask for help and where can you find answers? Add this as steps to the goals you identified above.

When you've finished as much as you can in detail for each goal, post in somewhere you will see it every day.

Now, take daily action. Do at least one thing every day and check it off your list.

Don't stop there

As you grow you will discover dreams and possibilities emerging and you will need to set specific, measurable goals to make those dreams come true as well.

Don't worry if your goals start to change as you mature in Christ. What you had done so far has now made it possible to set new goals with Christ. Be excited about the journey, stay true to who God has made you and pursue the dreams He places in your heart with all the strength, skills, passion and calling He gives you.

Failure to plan is a plan for failure

Life will take you where it will unless you put a rudder in and direct the course yourself. You have to have a direction and heading by which to steer, if you don't the currents will take you where they will and most likely you will not like where you end up.

Plan a life with direction, write down the steps and then do them one at a time. Plan for the next five years in five years you are going to be somewhere, make it a place of your choosing.

Pray for guidance as you work through this and know that the Lord is present with you. He has a plan for your life, a very specific one that ends in a goal of being with Him forever. Walk through your days with Him with a plan.

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