Goal-Setting, Part 2: The Mechanics

Today makes day four of our life-management series from a Christian worldview. First we learned how to take a prayerful and honest look at the hats we wear based on our God-given abilities, those roles that define who we are.

Next we used those roles to create a mission statement, to further fine-tune what we sense God leading us to do and to be.

Yesterday we discussed the scriptural basis for goal-setting so we fully grasp the best (and Biblical) approach to making plans and decisions.

Today we’re going to get to the nitty-gritty of setting goals that fit in with our roles and mission statements.

Being the best life managers we can possibly be is a matter of stewardship, which some equate with only finances. God gave us this life, the air we breathe, and every beat of our hearts. He also gave us our gifts and abilities. We’re accountable to Him for how we use not only our financial resources, but also our time and talents.

The purpose of goal-setting is to head in a certain direction. Like the picture above, we reach our life’s end through a series of baby steps. Where we are at the end of our life depends on the choices, decisions, and goals we’ve made. One dot connects to the next until our picture is complete. We have long-term goals (those which are one to two years in the future), medium-term goals (those from two to twelve months), and short-term goals (those we want to reach within the next few weeks).

I start with long-term goals and work backward, because many short-term goals lead toward the completion of long-term goals. Here’s an example: As a writer (one of my God-given roles), I desire to write as many books as possible for the purpose of sharing Christ and glorifying God (mission statement). In light of that life prayer, I set long-term goals (write four books this year), medium-term goals (finish two books by the end of June), and short-term goals (finish the rough draft of A Bridge Unbroken by the end of February). Notice that the short-term goal is ultra-specific. More on that in a moment.

Start With Your Roles

Grab a piece of paper. If you haven’t done so already, write down your life’s roles. Some can be combined if necessary, but try to limit yourself to seven or less. (Word of warning: the more hats you wear, the busier your life will be.) Once you’ve tweaked those move on to your…

Mission Statement

This document can be as simple or complex as you want to make it and in whatever form that works for you. The main thing is to identify one or two driving forces, those targets you’re aiming at, within each role. Write it down, type it up, print it out. Keep your mission statement visible, so you can check yourself against it frequently.

Goals

As a teacher-in-training, I had to learn to write goals according to a certain format, a skill that has proved valuable in my personal life. Goals have to meet the following criteria in order to be effective.

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Time Frame

Without being specific, goals tend to be vague and hazy. Without being measurable, we can’t determine when goals are met.  Without attainability, why have the goal in the first place? Without being realistic, you’re fighting a losing battle. And without a time frame, your goals can drag on forever, even for an entire lifetime.

Now using my example above of long-, medium-, and short-term goals, prayerfully consider what goals you’d like to reach in each role of your life. I would limit yourself to three of each kind of goal (long, medium short) for each role to keep from being overwhelmed. In fact, you might want to focus on only a few of those roles to start out with.

Personal life example: We are in the process of renovating a house we purchased last May. From May through December, my focus was on getting some really nasty house issues taken care of before our family came for Christmas. At the same time, my original goal for the writing of book five in the Miller’s Creek novels was to write the rough draft in November of last year.

I tried it. I stayed up late and woke up early. I burned the candle at both ends. The result? I was frantic, unhappy, and overwhelmed. In the end I conceded defeat. I had to change my goals, which meant prioritizing. For me, it was more important to get the house in livable condition than writing the rough draft, so I dropped the story for the short-term. Because of that decision, I now feel the pressure of promising to have this book out by spring, so I’m focused on finishing the book. Those renovation projects? Shelved for the moment.

The point is this: use that inner compass the Lord gives you. You’ll know when those goals have to be re-worked. It’s VERY important to remember that goals are like budgets. They’re a plan, not a contract. They’re not chiseled in stone. They can be changed!

Okay, back to writing our goals. Make sure they’re specific (not I want to lose weight, but I want to lose ten pounds), measurable, attainable, realistic (not I want to lose fifty pounds in two weeks), and have a time attached (I want to lose ten pounds by my daughter’s wedding in the fall).

Oooh, notice how I added a motivation in that last example? This helps so much! To give your goals extra punch, list the benefits of reaching each goal and how you’ll feel if you fail.

This might take time. That’s okay. Wait for the Lord’s answers in writing all this down. Jot down notes as you receive His inspiration. Once you’re finished, it’s just a matter of adding new short- and medium-term goals as you reach the old ones.

Then about once a year, repeat the process, starting with your roles. See if any have changed. If so it will require tweaking your mission statement, which you might want to do anyway. I find that January, June, and September are those times of the year that seem to motivate me to check on all this, but it might be different for you.

That’s enough for today. Next we’ll tackle those pesky daily schedules.

Until then…live loved!

 

 

 

P.S. Any tips on goal-setting? Or maybe questions? Please share them in the comments below!