Make it your goal to set a goal

Have a goal. Have a purpose. We are not created merely to “Exist.” We are created to grow and are missing out on life if we do not grow. Goals that push us beyond what we thought we were capable of add motivation and purpose to life.

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it. – W. Clement Stone

Is a goal really a goal if you know how you will meet it?

Goals should be for progress, not maintenance. What do I mean by that? A goal should not be set merely to continue what you have been doing. God created us to GROW, not just to stand idly by as spectators of our lives. It should be set to push us beyond where we currently are and what we are capable of. 

Merriam-Webster’s definition of a goal: the end toward which effort is directed.

Therefore, a goal MUST require effort. If no effort is required to reach the desired outcome, then it really isn’t a goal.

For instance, if my goal was to save $1200 for retirement in 2008 and I am currently saving $100 a month for retirement – well, barring any disastrous events, I already know that by just doing what I am currently doing I will meet my goal.

However, if my goal was to save $2000 in 2008, then I would need to figure out a way to make it happen. It is similar to setting a goal that I will not get fired in 2008. For most people, NOT getting fired is a sure thing as long as they keep doing what they have been doing: showing up and doing what they are hired to do. 

Be stretched by your goals

See, what happens when we set a goal that does not stretch us, that is not a little beyond what we may think we are capable of, we do not grow.  A goal like this, that merely maintains our current position, rather than forcing us to move forward lets our minds off the hook. Our minds set to auto-pilot and since they already know how to meet the goal, they focus zero energy towards the solution.  

On the flip side, when you set goals that you aren’t quite sure that you can meet, it sets your mind to work. Your mind will now (consciously and unconsciously) try to figure out how what has to be done to meet the goal. God created our minds and gave them to us for a reason and a purpose – it was not to become stagnant.

We are creative beings and when put to the test, if we allow it, our brains will produce. For me, I love working with limited resources, just to see HOW I can come up with a solution. I love the challenge of figuring out how to fix something, only with what is around me (rather than going to the store to buy the right tool). It is truly amazing what happens when you tell yourself to find a solution to the problem and that you are not leaving until it is solved.

Pray about it. Ask God to give you direction to create goals and help to reach them. He has plans and purposes for our lives, so we might as well find out what they are and go after it with all we have.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14