Every time the end of the year draws closer, many of us take time to contemplate and come up with goals that we want to attain for the next year. Some call them New Year's resolutions, others faith goals. Whatever we call them, we set them and we want to set them in such a way that they will actually happen.
Goal-setting is nothing short of godly. When we set goals we actually honour God and set ourselves up to live in a way that honours Him more.
One verse I love to read every time New Year comes is Isaiah 54:2: "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes."
Here Isaiah speaks of setting ourselves up for the greater things of God, and that's what goal-setting does.
However, we don't always set goals the right way. Here are three things to avoid when setting your New Year goals.
1. Not Coming Up With an Action Plan
Goals are great, but just as important or even more important is knowing how to get there. A lot of the goals people set are financial. We want to earn a certain income or save a certain amount of money, but unless we come up with a plan or strategy to get there, it won't likely happen.
Jesus said in Luke 14:28, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?"
Plans ensure that we know where we're going as we journey to our destination.
2. Doing It on Your Own
Life is best done with other people, and it's no different with our goals. While it's not advisable to share your goals with the whole world by posting about them on Facebook or making a YouTube video out of it, it's good to share them with a small circle that can help by keeping you accountable to your goals.
I always make it a point to run my personal goals with my wife and a small circle of men whom I walk with in our church community.
3. Making Unrealistic Goals
You want to lose weight, but there's only a very small probability that you'll lose 50 pounds in one month's time. In our quest for results, we jump to the most optimal ones right away without considering if it's doable.
Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."
In coming up with plans, it's good to remember to set realistic ones that we can actually make happen in the shortest amount of time possible.
