There is something very wonderful about the beginning of a new year. It's like a chance to wipe the slate and start fresh and clean! Very few people look at the beginning of a new year lightly and we have all made those "resolutions" to lose that holiday 5 or 10 pounds, start exercising more, be more organized or read the Bible daily. There is a reason why, beginning the day after Christmas, our televisions are deluged with health club, exercise equipment and diet plan commercials. How many of us have made a closet out of an unplugged treadmill or are still paying that monthly fee to a fitness club that we haven't been to since LAST January? So, is it wrong to make resolutions? Actually, not at all. In fact, resolutions are like goals, so let's talk about goal setting. Here are a couple of suggestions:
1) We SHOULD set goals. I have heard it said, and I concur, that nothing of any true significance is ever accomplished without goal setting. We are not going to lose that weight, become more fit, read our Bibles more, etc. without setting a goal of some type to shoot for. My old coach used to say if you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time. So, make resolutions, set goals, have a target.
2) Set goals that challenge you and make you work hard. Our goals need to be high enough that they cause us to put forth maximum effort. There is something very rewarding about setting a high goal, working at it and seeing it accomplished. And it is a proven that success breeds success. I will confess that I gained a few pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hey, don't judge me! :-) There was far too much fudge, pie and cake thrown in my face for 30 days, and to misquote Will Rogers, I never met a dessert I didn't like! So, I need to lose that weight. But to set a goal of losing a pound a month would not be a challenging goal for me because I could do that without a lot of effort. We need to recognize what challenges us to work hard and make that our standard for goal setting.
3) Conversely, set reachable goals. I had a young man who played basketball for me
early in my coaching career who was just a wonderful kid. He's a great high
school basketball coach today. He told me once that he had a personal
goal of dunking with two hands. Well, he was white, 5-4, slightly pudgy
and had the vertical jump of a rhino! I thought he'd have been
better off to set a goal of touching the bottom of the net someday. He
worked hard at it but soon realized he had set his aim just a bit to
high, pun intended. Goals need to be reachable.
4) Finally, once you reach your goal, reload! Continue finding areas where you can set personal, professional, physical goals and work toward them. Never get to a point where you can jut sit back and tell yourself, "I've arrived and I don't need to improve anymore." Make your long range goal to be ever learning, ever growing, ever expanding your horizons and then fit smaller goals into that long range plan. Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean we can't take time to enjoy our accomplishments, because we should. But continue to search for ways to advance, improve and become the best you can be for you, your family, your career, and in your faith.
Happy New Year to you all and best of luck with those resolutions this year!
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