Later I will share the goals that I came up with. But first, I want to challenge you to write a list of goals on your own. What types of goals do you think God wants you to have? Some of these may be general goals and applicable to any believer, others may be more specific to you and the life the Lord has called you to live.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
Here is an example of a non-specific goal: Be a good person
It’s great if you want to be a good person, but just saying that you want to be a good person isn’t going to make you any 'gooder' than you already are. It should help you be more specific in your goal if you define “good”.
An example of a better goal would be: Be kind and attentive to my friends and family
Or, Start volunteering at the local food pantry.
Having the goal to “Be a good person” doesn’t provide you with a way to measure your progress. To measure progress it helps to recognize where you are right now. Maybe you don’t volunteer at all right now, so a measurable goal for volunteering would include an amount of time that you hope to dedicate.
I don’t know that you can ever say you’ve attained the goal of being a good person, but you may someday achieve the goal of being kind and attentive to friends and family or volunteering at the food pantry
Really now, don’t set a goal that isn’t even relevant. Setting a goal to become the world’s hairiest gorilla isn’t going to be relevant if you are unable to grow hair..or if you are not a gorilla.
Do you have a time span in which you hope to have this goal achieved? Sure, some goals are life long, but others work better when given a deadline. Deadlines inspire urgency and can help motivate you to complete your goal.
Example of a non-time-bound goal: Volunteer more
Time-bound goal: Volunteer with Sarah this Summer
Before and after smartifying the goal:
Not smart goal: Be a good person
Smart goal: Volunteer with Sarah this summer at the homeless shelter
As I share my goals with you, I pray that you are encouraged and challenged to write or re-write the goals for your own life. Place them where you are constantly reminded to read, pray and apply these goals to your life.
Scriptures to read as you create your list of goals:
In my next post, Part Two, I will cover my Life Goals as summed up in one word. Maybe after writing your goals you will find a common theme. That's what I did, my Life "word" is the pith of my goals, it sums them up beautifully. I will also share my Life's mission statement before starting Part Three. In Part Three I will share the first 3 of my Life Goals. I have 12 Life Goals in total, but for the sake of privacy I will only be expounding on only the top 3, most general of my goals. For the other 9 you will have to use your imagination.
Until next time! Shalom,
Bethany