All About Goals

"So let us keep focused on the goal, those of us who want everything that God has for us." Phillipians 3:13 (THE MESSAGE)

Week 1–"Goal Setting"

Journaling helps to our ideas and desires to the surface, and express them on paper.

Goal setting refines those ideas and desires and puts them in an order that enables us to bring them from paper to reality.

A goal is like a race. The main goal is the finish line. Seeing the finish line spurs us on. What inspires us during the race is perhaps the vision of the finish line, or the race itself. But what happened to all of those months that led up to race day? How far off was the vision of the finish line from our memories? The runner uses a series of goals in order to accomplish the task, and those same principles can be applied to our everyday lives.

Week 2–"Going for the Goal"

As the Winter Olympic Games draw near, we will be seeing the culmination of many years of discipline, hard work, and the realization of dreams. Through all the practices and the honing of individual skills, the greatest moment of the whole event will not be the perfected routine as one might think. No, the most overwhelming experience the athlete will come away with will be watching our flag being raised above the others, and standing, beaming with pride, as the Star Spangled Banner is played. The athletes not only have a personal goal, but they also have a welcomed responsibility to represent their country.

Genesis 1:26 says that we were made in the image and likeness of God. The athlete realizes what an honor it is to represent this great country of ours. How much more honored we should be to represent our God in every area of our life. Make a Wish List

Let your list consist of 50 things you would like to accomplish for the year

Week 3–"Establish the Goal"

Studies have shown that it takes approximately three months to change a habit When the goal has been determined, it will take a certain amount of time in order for it to become a way of life. Instead of trying to squeeze the goal into the old life, try to accommodate it. New wine will burst old wineskins.

Turn the stumbling blocks into stepping-stones!

Make up your own Top Ten Priority List

• Choose your top ten from your Wish List of fifty and list them.
• Number your choices in order of importance to you
• Now take your top three choices and list them.
• Circle ONE of these top three choices, and write it down.

Week 4–"Stay the Course"

A gymnast competing on the balance beam must excel in skill as well as finesse. Of all of the events, it is sometimes the most precarious with performances. The possibility of a fall is greatest on this piece of equipment even to the most experienced of competitors. A gymnast uses many techniques in order to keep this from happening:

• Stay aligned and focused with the end of the beam; even when not looking directly at it.
• Walk determined and confident; ribcage lifted, shoulders down and back.
• Stay tight keeping any bobbles in check; trying not to over-compensate a correction.
• Lower the center of gravity by bending the knees; only in case of an eminent fall.

Keep focused on your goal!!

• Keep your walk balanced and confident by making corrections and adjustments as you go.
• Don't cave in to the little bobbles along the way. Keep correcting them and pulling yourself back on course.
• Don't wait until disaster is ready to strike. At the slightest bobble, bend your knees all the way to the floor.

That way you can be sure your Head Coach is walking along with you.

GOALS 2002 – Goal Test
Choose Success: How to Set and Achieve All Your Goals, by Dr. Billy Sharp
(New York: Hawthorn Books, 1970)

Your Priority Goal: _______________________________

Try to measure your goal against each test

1. Is your Goal Conceivable?
2. Is your Goal Believable
3. Is your Goal Achievable?
4. Is your Goal Controllable?
5. Is your Goal Measurable?
6. Is your Goal Desirable?
7. Is your Goal stated with No Alternative?
8. Is your Goal Growth Promoting for All?

If you were able to answer "yes" to each of the eight questions, Congratulations!! - your goal passed the test.