Principle # 11 – A goal is the expression of a desire that is in my heart that I believe was put there by God.

A goal is a written down commitment to pursue diligently what I believe is the will of God for me.

A goal is a statement of faith of what I believe is my intended future.

A goal is not the expression of an obligation that I feel I have had given to me by God or others in my life. A goal is not rewriting the “Ten Commandments”. A goal is not a vow.

Goals are a “want to”, not a “have to“. Goals motivate, are exciting, and create passion, they are not supposed to make me feel demotivated, or discouraged. Goals create a strong sense of movement, and growth, not that of being a failure. Goals are a tool for training not a way of trying harder.

I wrote my first list of goals when I was 16 years old, and I wrote 16 of them. The fact that the number of goals and my age was the same was totally coincidental, and I didn’t even notice until I sat down to write my goals the next year and then decided to continue the trend and write 17 goals. I have been doing that ever since, and this year I have 71 goals.

When I am writing my goals, usually a month long process, with many hours of thinking, praying, writing and discarding, writing and discarding, writing and discarding, I am attempting to dredge up out of the recesses of my inner being the desires and dreams that God has placed there. When I get finished I feel like I have painted a beautiful picture of my future.

When I finish I declare to the Lord, “this is what I believe you have put in my heart, and I intend to pursue these diligently. As I move ahead I know I will gain new wisdom and insight, and I will make adjustments accordingly, but in the meantime I move full speed ahead.”

In order to be as motivational as possible I write my goals in a very measurable way, being as clear and precise as possible. I write grandpa goals, father goals, health goals, financial goals, ministry goals, fun goals, seek God goals, marriage goals, and for sure fishing and hunting goals. I read my goals every day in order to program my own brain on what the priorities of my life are. I keep good records on all goals where that is important in order to keep healthy pressure on myself. I share my goals with others and respond graciously and with humility to any and all accountability.

Because of my goals every day I live will mean fruitful labor for me with which I will glorify God and prove myself to be a disciple of Jesus.