I have been a goal setter for years. Ok. Wait. I have been a wish setter. I call them goals, but most of the time I write down things I would like to do/have and then I close the book I have written them and I go on about my life. Then, months later, I find the book I wrote them in and think badly of myself because I haven’t accomplished any of my goals. The truth is I did some wishing on paper, but not much more.
Thankfully this is/has changed. Over the last couple of years I have accomplished a few goals. I have kept them in front of me. I have worked on them progressively. I have seen them accomplished. For instance, at one point in my life I weighed in the mid 260’s (my heaviest was 281). I decided early last year that I was going to make a change. I made it down to 220. Goal set. Goal achieved, mostly. I am up about 20 pounds now, but I am also in much better shape and still happy with the way I look and feel.
I recently read Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. It is an awesome read about the adventure of pursing a relationship with God. On his website he has a 8 page goal setting acticle that really brought goal setting into perspective for me. Goal setting is about looking far into the future and laying out a path for yourself that will get you to the future you have envisioned. Just like a master chess player you think about what you want the board to look like 20 moves ahead. In this way all of the goals that you set form a path. The path leads you to the person that you want to be.
I turned a year older yesterday. I have thought much about where I have been and where I want to go. I have thought much about the path that is in front of me, wondering if it will lead me anywhere good. And I remember, God knows the plans that he has for me. They are plans to prosper me and not harm me. He wants to to give me hope and a future. I trust that.
So, I prayerfully set my goals. There are many things that I have written down that I want to accomplish. They are in front of me. They are a map. They are not set in stone and can change, but that is the fun of the journey. I choose to chase them with all I am. I am excited to see where I end up.
How about you? Do you set goals? Do you have a list yet to be accomplished? Care to join me in the chase?
Thinking Willis 