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(With Julie Busteed and Alice Huntzicker)
(Mary) “I’m going to be more organized; I really am.
(Julie) “I wish I could lose a few pounds.”
(Alice) “I definitely plan to spend more time reading my Bible and praying.”
(Mary) “Now, I know how important it is to exercise, and you can be sure of this: I’m going to start exercising!”
(Julie) “I think I have a book in me that needs to be written, and I’m going to do it one of these days.”
(Alice) “I know it’s not nice to gossip; it’s one of my bad habits, but I’m going to stop.”
These are some examples of wishes, plans, desires we all have. But as the old saying goes, “wishin’ don’t make it so.” I thought it might be helpful to talk about how to turn wishes into goals and make them happen. How to establish and reach daily goals for your life.
(Julie) I think this is a good topic because I know how often I set a goal and then something happens and either I don’t reach my goal or it’s late—or something!
(Alice) I know what you mean. One day I have great plans and then the next day, it seems like I lose my motivation.
(Mary) This is a common problem for all of us. I believe if we make goals that are reachable—daily goals that we can achieve—and then we have some success reaching those goals, that is what inspires us to keep on setting and reaching goals.
(Julie) I think that’s a good approach. Take it in baby steps.
(Mary) Let’s think about how we establish these realistic goals. Remember that a wish is not a goal. Lots of us wish for many good things, but not too many of us see those good things happen because we’ve never turned our wishes into goals.
(Alice) So, a goal has to be achievable and specific. And it needs some kind of time frame, doesn’t it?
(Mary) Yes, and it should be measurable, and accountability always helps. If you are accountable to someone, you’re much more likely stick to it. What is an example of a goal as compared to a wish?
(Julie) Well, if I am serious about putting exercise into my daily life, a goal would be, “I’m going to walk a half-hour each morning.” Specific, time frame, and doable. And it would be good if I told a couple of friends about it, and maybe even asked them to follow-up and ask me how I’m doing.
(Mary) If you did all that, the odds that you’ll succeed are pretty good.
(Alice) Don’t you think that one of the things many of us fail at is the goal of having daily time reading our Bibles and praying? It just seems like that can be the most difficult goal to achieve.
(Mary) Not only is that the one many of us fail at, it’s the most important daily goal we need for our lives—and ALL of us need it. But wishing that you had a closer walk with God, wishing you really knew how to pray with power, wishing you knew the Bible better are just that—wishes, not goals, and they won’t produce much progress in your faith walk.
You’ve heard me suggest things for you to do that will help you turn wishes into goals. That’s because I need specific, concrete help if anything is going to happy. And I’m always looking for practical ways to make God’s Word a part of my daily life.
For instance, years ago when I was reading about the inner garments of Colossians 3:12, I decided that I needed to dress the inner person, with as much time and diligence as I spent on the outer person. So, I began to “put on” those garments—the fruit of the Spirit, and that specific goal then took hold in my daily time with God and that began to change me.
(Alice) Yes, and that eventually became a Bible study that we publish –The Well Dressed Christian—and many people have used your idea to help them turn a wish into a goal, as you say. Instead of wishing or even wanting to be more like Jesus, you make it a specific goal for your daily life.
(Julie) And I’m reminded that Jesus always put the emphasis on doing not just knowing. For instance, in John 13:17 he said: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” And again in Luke 11:28: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
(Mary) Yes, those passages underline the fact that Jesus was a doer, and he didn’t waste time talking about what he wanted to do. He came to this earth with certain goals in mind, and nothing was going to stop him from reaching his goals.
Do we ever need more Christians who will become goal-oriented doers and not just wishers and dreamers! Perhaps you remember my Tator family message. There’s Dick Tator, the father, and Emmy Tator, his wife, their daughter, Hessie Tator and son Aggie Tator, and then there’s Grandpa Spec Tator! Remember? Well, believe me, the world is full of Spec Tators and Hessie Tators. People who have good intentions but never reach their goals because they don’t know how or they’re not willing to turn their wishes into goals and then do them. That’s where the blessing of God comes to us—in the doing.
(Alice) Also, in the parable Jesus taught about the talents, he illustrated that those who use their gifts and talents well will be given more to use. When you are a goal-oriented person, you will be using your God-given gifts more effectively, and that will open up the door for God to give you more talents and abilities.
(Mary) When we’re using the gifts and talents and opportunities that God has given us, it opens up the doors of heaven to shower us with more. That parable teaches that principle clearly. God won’t give you more talents and abilities until you use the ones you have.
(Julie) I’ve noticed that the more I am content with who I am the way God has created me, the less I envy others or wish I was like someone else. When you set and achieve goals that help you to accomplish things and get things done, you will have less and less reason to be jealous of others and more and more content that God has created you for special reasons and you can realize who you were meant to be in Christ.
(Mary) And here’s another incredible benefit for becoming a goal-oriented person—it reduces a lot of stress in your life. All those wishes that have been hanging over your head—all those things you’re going to do someday—they begin to weigh on your mind, even when you’re not consciously aware of them. That can cause major energy leaks and make you exhausted a lot, just thinking about those wishes that should be turned into goals.
There’s any number of wonderful reasons why we should get serious about turning our wishes into goals and becoming goal-oriented people.
There’s another thing that’s essential if we are to become goal-oriented, and that is we must be proactive people, not reactive people. Do you know what I mean by that?
(Alice) I think I’ve heard you talk about this before. A reactive person is one who allows others and circumstances to dictate what happens to them—right? They make victims of themselves, and then claim it’s not their fault!
(Julie) And a proactive person is one who looks down the road, sets a goal, and instead of looking for excuses not to pursue that goal, that person refuses to be sidetracked and he or she heads for the goal they’ve set. Proactive people don’t wait for life to dish out their destiny. They determine where they want to go and do the things that are necessary to get there.
(Mary) But, let me hasten to add that as believers, our goals should be ordained by God. We should be going for the things that bring honor to Jesus. We need eternally significant goals.
Those goals can range from the simple everyday things of our lives to life-changing pursuits.
So, whether your goal is to change a bad habit or improve your skills in some way, or a goal to start your own business, or go to the mission field—or whatever, you need a plan and a method that will help you turn that dream, that wish, into a specific goal with practical steps to take that will get you there.
(Alice) Don’t you think that you need to put some of those goals in writing? I have to see a plan with my eyes—see how I can reach a goal, and that motivates me to start working on it. I think that is step one—put it in writing.
(Mary) For me it will stay a wish until I put it in writing and make it a goal. And I encourage you to begin small. Don’t try to change everything over night!
(Julie) That’s really important. Often when we get motivated we just overdo it and bite off more than we can chew, as they say, and then we’re not able to reach those lofty goals, so we become discouraged and quit. Starting small is important.
(Mary) Absolutely. Begin by identifying one thing you want to achieve, one thing you want to improve in your life, on your job, in your relationships, whatever. Write it down. Now, ask yourself, “Did I write a wish or a goal?” A goal would be: “In order to be more organized, I am going to start using a To-Do list on a daily basis beginning today.” Whereas a wish would be “I’m going to get more organized.” Until it becomes specific with a time schedule, it is still in the wish/dream category.
(Alice) And be sure you’re truly committed to achieving that goal, or it simply won’t happen.
(Mary) Jesus said we find God when we search for him with our whole heart. Lots of people would like to know God better, but few are willing to put out the time and effort required to search for him with their whole heart. So, as you look at your goal you have to be certain you are truly committed to it.
Then, in order to achieve that goal, make sure you bite off small pieces at a time. For example, if you’ve never established a daily time with God, don’t try to start with an hour a day. Start with twenty or thirty minutes. Get that firmly established. Then increase it each week a little at a time.
And lastly, I would encourage you to establish accountability for yourself in these goals that you set. Ask someone to check up on you. That accountability is very important.
So, let’s repeat those steps that will help us turn wishes and dreams into goals:
(Alice) Get a piece of paper and write down a specific goal you want to reach. It must be specific, with a time frame.
(Julie) Break that goal up into smaller pieces, each with a time frame. For example, if you want to clean out your closet, break that big job into smaller pieces, or you can break it into smaller time pieces like one hour a day.
(Mary) Establish some accountability. Tell somebody what you’re working at and perhaps ask someone to check up on you, or maybe it’s a goal you share with someone and you can work on it together. That’s always motivating, to have someone in it with you.
And we close with the two most important goals, as found in God’s Word. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “So we make it our goal to please him (the Lord), whether we are at home in the body or away from it” (2 Corinthians 5:9). And to the Philippians he wrote: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).