My Experience
Thinking back to my college days, I used SMART goals in my junior and senior years of school to aid me in my studying, preparing for tests, and even in working on dredded research papers which I hated doing! After graduating, becoming a volunteer minister in Batavia, NY, and eventually a full time pastor of a church in Salisbury, MD, I had to set goals, a vision statement, as well as a mission and purpose statement. I created them so I could cast or share these different statements with the local congregants and visitors. Honestly, setting goals was never an issue for me. I knew it needed to be done. I would pray, listen to God for weeks on end, and write things down. Of course, I would be seeking God back in October for the coming NEW Year’s set of Goals. Scripture states in Proverbs 29:18a:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…”
Then in Hosea 4:6a:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
Many fail in their goal setting because they don’t plan. People want to start the NEW YEAR, the diet, or whatever it might be off right. They can envision the accomplishment and the satisfaction of obtaining the goal or resolution. Yet, many lack proper planning, or knowledge of how to get from the beginning to the end.
Setting Goals
- Specific: Make the goal(s) specific to you. Don’t follow the trends or the crowd on what everyone else is doing. You are unique. One of a kind. Don’t try to be like everyone else.
- Realistic: If your goal(s) is not realistic you won’t attempt them. You want to lose 100 lbs this year. Great, but set your goal to lose 10% of your weight first. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
- Measurable: If your goal(s) is physical, use pictures, body measurements. Use the Scale as a gauge but don’t become a slave to it. The body is a chemistry set and it is going to be in a constant state of change.
- Attainable: This is a Biggy. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Yes, raise the bar of what you are going for (because the feeling of accomplishment is motivating), but don't raise it so high that reaching it is unrealistic. Everytime I would lose 50 lbs, on my 255 lb weight loss journey, I would go to the movies and have a box of Milk Duds and a bottle of water. This was my personal health rewards system.
- Time bound: Make long term and short term goals, making sure they have an end date. Again, be realistic and make them attainable. Personally, I didn't set out to lose 200 lb in my first year and 55 lb in the next. I just wanted to lose weight and allowed myself room for it to take up to 3 years, but it didn’t.
My Thot: These 5 things are great to keep in mind when setting goals, but if I could add one more for you it would be to make an “Action Plan.” There is no reason to make goal(s) if you don't have a plan of attack or a thought out plan of how you are going to obtain your goal(s). Comment below, and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to receive blog updates in your inbox.
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