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Practicing Significance Glorifying God by fulfilling your own unique purposes through the never-ending action of acquiring, using, and sharing diverse resources. |
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Setting Your Goals
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Solomon
“All persons are created equal – the level of initiative sets them apart.” Unknown
‘Failure is never fatal. Success is never final.” Joe B. Foster
“Of course I believe in luck. How otherwise to explain the success of people you detest?” Jean Cocteau
Introduction
Before starting this lesson, make sure that you have completed the Practicing Significance lesson on Understanding Your Purposes. Without having a good understanding of your purposes, it is almost a waste of time to set your goals. While in the process of setting goals, keep in mind that the next step will be to fashion a life plan which will aid you in successfully reaching your goals.
Goal Setting Doesn’t Have to Be Unpleasant
Throughout my business and personal lives, I have often been encouraged (or required) to set goals. Until recently I found the process to be unpleasant, boring and unproductive. I usually found that I could put it off long enough that people would forget, or that if I set goals they would never be looked at again. I was continually frustrated because I didn’t seem to be smart enough to set the right goals or not good enough to achieve my goals. Maybe your history is different from that, but most people’s experience seems to be similar. Similarly, we seem to treat our life goals much the same as New Year’s resolutions…well meaning for a few days, then forgotten.
In retrospect, the breakdown occurred because I had failed to understand my purposes before setting goals. Therefore, setting my goals was a meaningless activity. Now that I have a clearer understanding of my purposes, I am excited about setting goals and making a plan to accomplish them. If you have an understanding of your purposes, I suspect you will also have this heightened level of anticipation about setting goals. If you are not looking forward to doing so, I would ask that you revisit the Practicing Significance lesson on Understanding Your Purposes and use the Additional Resources until you receive an appreciative and anticipatory attitude about your future. Also, please read the scriptures in Appendix 1. If you do not look forward to setting and meeting goals, it is highly unlikely you will successfully do so.
Expectations Will Alter Your Outcomes
Expectation becomes self-fulfilling prophecy. Expectation effects, also known at the Pygmalion effect, have been documented time and again. In hundreds of studies, people perform better when expectations are high, and perform worse when expectations are low. Since we set our own goals, it would be smart to set goals high, but reachable. That way we can expect to reach them, will act in such a way as to reach them, and will subsequently receive positive reinforcement for setting new reachable goals.
The above paragraph is applicable in most situations and to most people, I believe. I have heard many times that we should “set goals so high that they can only be reached with God’s doing.” I do not see that the Bible teaches that thought; it seems to me that we are to attribute all of our successes of any size to God so that He might be glorified. It also seems to me that the above thought gives us a built-in excuse when we fail, because “God must not have wanted us to reach the goal.” That being said, I would not want to discourage anyone from acting upon an extraordinary calling if they are convinced it is God’s will that they do so.
K.I.S.S. Yourself
I am both cursed and blessed because I am unable to remember many abbreviations and acronyms. One that has stayed with me through the years is “K.I.S.S” which stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. My doctor brother says that many physicians have the first thought when they look at illness symptoms of, “When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras.” For most of us the simple, obvious answers are usually the best. Unfortunately, it often takes more analysis and information to see the simple and the obvious. In fact, the mark of genius is often the ability to see the obvious.
Although you can read numerous books and take lots of seminars on goal setting, I would like to offer the following simple process:
1. On one sheet of paper write down your purposes. If you use the ideas in our lesson, it will only take six sentences which will exactly relate to 3 below.
2. On another sheet of paper write down your talents and things you like to do. Exclude talents you may have but do not enjoy. If you need to, ask your spouse or a trusted friend to help with the list.
3. On a third sheet make headings for the different areas in your life that are important to you (not what you think should be important, but what is actually important…do not try to be politically correct). I recommend the areas which are shown in the Practicing Significance lesson on Understanding Your Purposes: What I Am, Family, Church, Society, Missions, and Personal Salvation. Under each of these headings, and from the data on the first two sheets, write only one or two goals which you believe should be focused on from the start. Additional goals can be added later. Make copies of this sheet and post them in many places where you will see them throughout the day. Focusing on meeting these goals will be imperative.
As an example, here’s a summary of what my sheets currently look like:
1. Sheet One: My purpose is to glorify God by stewarding all that is entrusted to me to meet spiritual, physical and intellectual needs of others.
2. Sheet Two: I enjoy using the talents of: problem solving, learning, financial analysis, teaching, reading, giving, physical exercise and athletics,
3. Sheet Three:
· Self: Invest myself in my marriage. Lose five pounds. Take one significant trip per month. Learn incessantly. Keep the daily appointments God has made for me.
· Family: Allot my family the necessary time and effort to meet their needs and continue our good relationships.
· Church: Become part of my church family.
· Society: Get involved with three micro-loan projects.
· Missions: Get focused on one mission project at my new church home.
· Personal Salvation: Develop my personal relationship with Jesus. Join a men’s Bible study group. Start the Practicing Significance radio programs; reach 10,000 people by 2010.
As can be seen, the above goals are specific, defined, and measurable in most cases. They are also reachable, and can be increased and added to when desired. If you took the time and effort to understand your purposes, this exercise probably won’t take very long. However, before you start, I want to ask a favor of you…be true to yourself when you set your goals. Don’t choose to do anything because you are supposed to or because somebody wants you to do it. Only list a goal if it is truly something you find desirable and meaningful. If it is not, you will not have the passion and enthusiasm to enjoy the process of reaching your goal.
Conclusion
Goal setting can be a pleasant, simple process. Having defined and specific goals which are high, but reachable will enhance your ability to set a life plan and to meet your purposes in life. Jim Hays said, “Put all the facts on the table and the answer will usually jump out at you.” I think you will find that your answers will jump out at you if you go through the process correctly.
If Your Life Were A Business, Would You Invest In It?, by John Eckblad and David Kiel
Halftime by Bob Buford
Halftime – Participant’s Guide by Bob Buford
APPENDIX 1 - SCRIPTURES ON PURPOSES AND GOALS
Jer. 29:11-13 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Eccl. 12:13-14 – Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. [written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived]
Luke 14: 28 – “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”
Eph. 1:11 – In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
Phil. 3:13, 14 - …But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Titus 3:8 - …, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
2 Peter 1:5, 6 – For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
Rev. 3:15-17 – “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are luke-warm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’”