Tag: 2018

Setting Goals with God

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

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.

Does God want you to set goals? Can we set goals and fulfill what God has for our lives? Are goal setting and following God opposed to each other? For most people these two aspects of our lives don’t come together. So what are we supposed to do?

Effect of Goals on my Life

This past year has been one of tremendous strides. I’ve accomplished things that I hadn’t even really thought about before. I’ve written more than a 100 articles for this very blog, lost weight and changed my eating habits for the better, and I’ve grown closer in my relationship with God.

I was never really a goal setting type of person before the last two years. I can truly say that I’ve only really taken goal setting seriously only within the last year. Just in this small time I can see the impact that this is having on my life.

Goals and God

How does all of this goal setting relate to my relationship with God? There are many times in our lives when God is giving us directions and things that we’re supposed to do. How are we supposed to accomplish the things that God directs us to do, through goal setting.

If you believe in your heart that God has given you an idea on starting a business or non-profit that will help to serve your community, how are you going to get this done? Most people think that God will give them the idea, the details, and the finished product. That’s just not how it happens. If it has happened for you, then you are the exception and not the rule.

If you look at people in the Bible, none of their journeys were easy where everything was put into their laps. From Abraham having to journey to a far land, to Joseph being sold into slavery and then his journey to the top official in Egypt and there was nothing remotely easy about Jesus’ journey.

Together Not Separate

The problem that we run into and seem to have stuck in our heads is that God doesn’t want to be a part of our goal setting. We try to keep these two areas separate, where we should be joining them together.

Our goals are not just meant for work or business aspirations, but they should be used to accomplish the plans that God set before us. Our relationship, faith, prayers, should all be used in our goals to accomplish God’s plan.

Going into this next year, do what I’m planning on doing. Spending time praying asking God for directions on what are the next steps that I need to take. Using my faith to accomplish those goals to do what God has set before me.

 

Discussion Question:

Have you set your goals for the new year yet?

 

Reflect and move Forward

“Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.” Kenneth Branagh

We are coming down to the end 2018. How has this year been for you? The end of the year always brings out our reflective nature. There are times when it gets to the end of the year and I reflect on that current year and it feels like I wasted a year. You ever have that feeling where you can’t really think of what you did with your time. There have been years where I had goals I wanted to accomplish and habits I wanted to change only to  come to the end of the year knowing that I had wasted another year. You’ve probably had a similar experience. Looking back too much can cause you not to move forward.

One of my goals for 2018 was to reach a certain weight. This may not be something that you are aware of but it is becoming more mainstream for men to openly care about their health. That starts with our weight. Well the previous year (2017), I had gained quite a bit of weight and I was feeling tired, I started having different health challenges and I knew that something needed to change.

I prayed about it and started a diet plan that helped me get down to the weight that I needed to. I’ll admit, it hasn’t been easy and this year more than ever I’ve had to watch what I eat. Have there been times where I didn’t stick to my diet. Did I through my plan out of the window? No, I vowed that this time would be different. I prayed, I asked for help from my wife, I did whatever I needed to in order to get back on the plan and turn a habit into a lifestyle.

How do we reflect on the past, but then move forward with our futures? We don’t want to let our past hold us back. It is possible and we can look back at 2018 and instead of being stuck in 2018, we can propel ourselves into 2019.

  1. Be honest about what didn’t work. There are too many times where we romanticize the failures. We look at our #TBT pictures and post and remember events and things as being better than they were. Be honest about what went good and what didn’t go quite as good as planned.
  2. Make a plan for the next year. Reflecting can be great but looking back to much can keep us from going forward. Plan for what you want the next year to look like. Goals and dreams without a plan will just be “what ifs” at the end of the year.
  3. Extend yourself some grace. Know that there are going to be hiccups along the way. The path from where we are to where we want to go is never a straight line. We can be our hardest critics when things don’t go the way we think. Give yourself some grace through the hiccups.

 

New Years Resolution Fail?

Have you left your Resolutions already?

We’re already a couple of weeks into January and most people have already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions. I hope that you’re not in that camp. If you are the then maybe this will kick start you into getting back on track and doing great things this year.

 

Here are 5 reasons why Your New Year’s Resolution has failed, and how to get back on track.

 

  1. Don’t treat it like a sprint; change is a marathon.

While the slow and steady approach isn’t the sexiest or new flash trend, this approach is the one that will change your life in a permanent way. Today everyone seems to have the “I want it Now” mentality. The key to any successful change is in the small steps that get you there. Those steps help us to build consistency and in consistency lies the power.

[ctt template=”3″ link=”M304h” via=”no” ]In consistency lies the power[/ctt]

  1. Thinking Too Much, and Not enough acting

The best advice in the world won’t do you any good if you fail to act. Fear can be just as powerful as inspiration, faith and knowledge. How do we overcome fear, one step at a time. Instead of being afraid of what could be, focus on an action that you can do today.

 

  1. You’re in too much of a hurry.

If it was quick and easy then everyone would do it. Sometimes we want to have the change right away. We want to reach our ideal weight in 30 days, so we go and buy the latest workout video, join a gym, and buy new workout clothes and don’t look at our budgets or schedule to see when we can realistically exercise. There’s a balance between not acting at all and acting too fast that can cause more damage to ourselves.

 

  1. You don’t have support

Many times when we set New Year’s Resolutions, we keep it to ourselves. Or you may have done like I have in the past were I talk about it as such a far off dream, that those closest to me don’t take it seriously. Mostly because I haven’t taken it serious. You can do a lot by yourself, but to truly accomplish something great, for your life to be what it can be, you’re going to need a support system.

 

  1. What is your WHY?

The biggest reason most people’s New Year’s resolutions fail is because they don’t know their why. A lot people set a resolution on wanting to lose weight. Or they want to exercise more. That’s usually where it ends for them. They don’t have a why they want to lose the weight. Is it to live a healthier lifestyle, or for medical reasons, or that you don’t like the idea of being out of breath after getting dressed in the morning. Whatever the resolution, you need to know your Why. It’s your Why that will keep you going past January and push you to succeed.

 

Let’s not let this year be like so many others in the past. If we can imagine it, we can accomplish it. Dream Big and Aim High. What are your goals for this year? What habits are you going to change? Share in the comments and we can encourage each other.