In a survey completed by US News and World Report, by mid-February, 80 percent of new year’s resolutions have been shelved. Goals are tough to achieve. Most require marathons—not sprints—and marathons take endurance.
So, what do we do when we find ourselves mid-year with shelved goals and stale dreams.
Here are some steps to help you jumpstart your plans and to finish this year with the satisfaction of having achieved what brings fulfillment and joy:
1. Give yourself grace. We all fall behind. Life happens. What seemed easy to achieve in January might have proven to be difficult if not impossible to achieve by March because our lives took turns we could not anticipate.
2. Take a look at those goals you set back in January. Do they still reflect what you hope to achieve? Can you scale them back a bit so that you can meet your “new” goals by the end of the year? If you wanted to lose 20 pounds, perhaps setting your sights on 10 pounds would give you a great start to the final ten pounds next year.
3. What if you didn’t set goals—but want to now? Take time, reflect, and begin. I would urge you to check out my book Branch Living and the journal that accompanies it, Branch Living journal—available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, etc. It gives you a guide to taking time with God and reflecting on what you should be working toward.
4. Have a prayerful approach to goal setting—spend quiet time with God to hear what He is nudging you to work toward. How can you better reflect Him? How can you help build His Kingdom? How can you better serve?
5. Ensure that your goals are balanced. At Branch Living, we seek to keep our goals balanced and according to God’s order, setting goals in Bonding with God, Relationships, Almsgiving, New and Renew, Church, and Habits (good and bad).
6. Find a friend who also wants to achieve goals—and encourage each other! Marathon runners have cheerleaders along the road to spur them forward at times when the running becomes tough and quitting would be easy. Find those who will encourage you!
7. Record your progress. This is why the journal is so important. It motivates you to continue. It serves as an accountability tool. It reminds you of areas where you have made progress, reminding you of your successes.
The key to all goal achievement can be found in this verse of Scripture:
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3)
We might hit roadblocks. We might encounter failure. We might have to take a new direction. But, the Lord promises, that if we commit our work to Him, our plans will be established—they will take root—they will bear fruit.
That promise gives us the force to push ahead.
End well!