Goal Setting

I recently heard a story about a guy named John Goddard. One rainy afternoon an inspired 15-year old boy named John Goddard sat down at his kitchen table in Los Angeles and wrote three words at the top of a yellow pad, "My Life List." Under that heading he wrote down 127 goals. These were not simple or easy goals. They included climbing the world's major mountains, exploring from source to mouth the longest rivers of the world, piloting the world's fastest aircraft, running a mile in five minutes and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Now, a generation later, he has accomplished 109 of these quests, and has logged an impressive list of records in achieving them. Click here to view the list of goals and achievements.

Let me make a simple observation: if John Goddard hadn’t set those goals he would have never achieved those goals. I doubt he would have done half of what he did if he hadn’t set a goal in the first place. Goals help you know where you want to end up at the end of life’s journey. This week, we discussed 10 Steps to Setting Life Goals. Here they are:

1. Start with prayer. There is no limit to what dreams and prayer can achieve.


2. Check your motives. Is it necessary? What’s your motivation? Goal setting is making the most of your time, talent, and resources.


3. Get ideas from others. Don’t just copy them, but let them inspire you.


4. Think in categories. It may be hard to pull life goals out of thin air. Starting with categories may make things easier.


5. Be specific. Getting in shape is not a goal. It’s a wish. Make it measurable.


6. Write down your goals. Do you remember your grocery list three weeks ago? If you want to remember it, you need to write it down.


7. Include others. A lot of my goals include my family. It’s all about shared experiences and creating memories.


8. Celebrate along the way. If your goal is to save $1,000 emergency fund, celebrate when you hit $500. That small victory will help carry you to the end.


9. Think big. Michelangelo once said, “the greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it’s too low and we reach it.”


10. Keep dreaming. It’s never too late to be who you might have been.

Where are you going in life and how are you going to get there?