Setting Goals

You may have noticed that I tend to like Dave Ramsey, and the truth is that I do.  I like what he stands for.  I also like that he takes something he is good at and uses it for the good of God and for the good of God's followers.  Dave uses his life's testimony to help others who are struggling financially and he shares what he has learned to inspire others to live their life debt free.  He also encourages people to set goals; which, is something that I believe is so important to live a fulfilled life.

A goal in my life- because of watching people like Dave- is to use one of my life's lessons to help the good of others.  I haven't been the best at it lately, but I do always try* to include in my prayers that God help guide me in the direction to serve him.  Some ideas that I have come up with are: starting a dance studio at my church and using my passion for dance and for teaching to serve God through dance, counseling teens who are struggling with peer pressure to drink, have sex, or use language that they are not comfortable with, and also grouping with young wives (even if I am not quite one yet) to come up with meal plans, share in fellowship, and help with the ups and downs that come with being in a lifelong relationship.  These are just a few of the many things that God has put me up against and I know that I have the ability to do something about it to help others who are currently struggling.

I also have other goals in my life.  I think a lot of people do.  I want to be a great wife and mom someday- don't we all!?! Because I am a business major in college, I want to someday own my own small business or work in a position that I am practically the boss.  I want to someday have $1,000,000.  I wrote it out because I think it looks way cooler and bigger than just saying "one million dollars", don't you? I want to someday come up with the cure for cancer, after I win the Powerball.  Fine, the last one was just a pipe dream, but I would totally do it if I won the Powerball.

A friend of mine recently said, "If you say you are 'trying' or any form of 'try', you are going to fail. You have already said you can't and won't if you are only trying."  I thought to myself, "That is not right. I try to do a lot of things and I succeed at them." I tried to get the laundry done before dinner finished and I did. I tried to get straight A's through college and so far I have.  But then I thought about it, I have also tried to study for a test and I didn't have time.  I tried to diet and lose weight and I still haven't.  I have tried a lot of things that I didn't fully commit to and needless to say I failed.  So, did I really even "try"? Or, did I have the choice to do or not to do and I chose not to do it.  I would go with the latter.

When goal setting, we have to decide if we are going to do or we are not going to do.  If it is something that you tell yourself, "I'll try to squeeze this in," then don't even bother writing it down.  You won't do it.  You have to decide if you will do something, or if you won't do it, and then you write it down as a goal.  Have fun checking it off, because if you wrote it down it better be important enough to you that you will make it happen.  Remember, if you "try" you are not doing you are just saying.

And with that, have a great day of DOING!