Goals…and A Planner – A Necessary Part of Success

Goals are an often discussed topic this time of year.  They’ve certainly been on my mind as I consider what this year might hold.  But moving from having a “goal” to actually getting it done is another story.

I look at it this way, I have two options:

• Continue on as I so often do, hoping things will get better, wishing I’ll become more organized, wanting to do better at my homeschooling goals,  dreaming my home would be neater, and desiring to growing in my relationships.  OR….
• I can choose to live differently, doing more than just think about what I need/want to accomplish.  Take time to set my sites on my goals and then plan organizational and proactive activities into each day that will accomplish those goals.  List out duties I am accountable for to help my family live out their goals in a comfortable home while developing strong bonds with family and friends.

Choices

It’s always a choice, isn’t it?  Discipline is always something we must make ourselves do.  It’s never something that just happens simply by osmosis.  We can talk and think and hope for all those changes to take place, but the cart just won’t move without getting the donkey in front of it!  And guess what?  Each one of us is that donkey (oh, I’m sorely tempted to use the other word here, but I’ll contain myself! :o) and we must do the hard work of moving into the tasks at hand and forging forward toward our dreams and into our responsibilities.

So, as I begin a new season, I am choosing to move, choosing to grab hold of another year, another day to “get it right”.

• I’ll start by brainstorming (stating and listing out my goals), not just dreaming about them.
• Then I’ll make a plan and seek the best way to implement it.
• I guess I’m a bit stubborn, but I maintain a hopeful and determined attitude that all is not lost when my plans didn’t evolve.  Very possibly one or two of the things I dream of and set as goals for this year or this life, might just happen, but not without lots of hard work and determination.
• Now I must hold onto that picture, trusting God to show me what’s worth my time – and what’s not.  As I trust my life and energy to obeying, serving, and glorifying God in this life, He will reveal what’s important but also He will choose the outcome, success or failure.  I love the fact that even a failure is still a success in His plan – it teaches or protects in a loving way.

Get A Planner!

So how will I begin this quest?  Of course, with prayer, but more tangibly, I ordered a new planner. (smile)  I’m excited to find one with plenty of  pages designed for me to: get organized, plan, and maintain those plans; set goals, build relationships, plan holidays, and jot notes to myself; plus it includes cute designs with quotes and verses to remind me of God’s love and ways I can share that love with those around me.

I searched for weeks and looked at literally hundreds of planners, both pre-printed and reproducible versions.  I share those finds in my next post, so click here to read about the many options available.

In a nutshell, I recommend you FIND A PLACE, no matter what it looks like (a notebook, a printed or computer planner, even a decorative personal planner) just a place to jot down your thoughts, dreams, plans, to do list, calendar items.  Don’t keep them swimming around in your head, hoping they’ll somehow develop into a plan or system all on their own.  Write them down, organize them, prioritize them, and like Francis Chan says in his wonderful book, You & Me Forever, “Just do something.“

When it comes to goal setting, proactivity, and responsibility, my own ‘fortune cookie proverb’,

“Do nothing, expect nothing in return.  Do something, and you will certainly see results.”

Don’t seek perfection, simply seek God, and you will find your way, His way!  His love is unending and everlasting.  But there is still work for you to do.  Trust, obey, and get to work!

Let all things decently and in order.  1 Corinthians 14:40