New Year, New Goals, Let's do this

Now that it is 2013, and the Holidays are over it is time to think about 2013. Everyone makes resolutions for the year, and most people do not succeed in these changes for more than a few months. Stephanie (my wife) and I are going to set Goals this year (an idea she got from Instagram from a random person she follows). So I have been thinking a lot about Goals in many aspects of my life. I love the thought of making Goals for the year and not resolutions. A resolution is defined as a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something. A Goal is defined as the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end. Resolutions is something are determined to do, but that is as far as it normally goals. We rarely take the time to set the goals to actually carry out what we originally were so determined to do.  

This is where and why I believe that setting and having goals can and are more effective. One thing that I have learned over the past few years is the importance of how high or low you set your goals. Meredith Belbin conducted research at Henley Management College on Management teams. One of the interesting findings is that teams that had a higher goal than what they new were capable of achieved high results, and the teams that were more than capable to achieve higher results who set lower goals achieved just that lower results. His observations showed that where ever you set your goals that is what you will achieve  It is very important that you do not miss out of greater things because you set lower goals for yourself.

Stephanie and I not only are going to set person goals this year, but also goals for us as a couple, and as a family. We have two things we want to focus on, the first and most important our Spiritual goals, and second the physical goals (working out, going on vacation, spending more time as a family, Ect.). Coming up with physical goals is pretty easy, it is the Spiritual ones that I have a little bit of a harder time with.

One of the major areas I am going to focus on as one of my main Spiritual goal is sacrifice. Study it, pray it, live it. When we look back at our lives we see that most of our mistakes that we made have a lot to do with us being selfish. Less of me allows God to work through me to Love Him back fully, and so love others with the amazing Love that God pours on us daily. The cool thing is that God's love has covered all our selfishness in the past, present, and future. He paid the price for our stupidity. Now I can choose to follow Him daily and see what amazing things He has in store for my year and my life. One of my other Spiritual Goals is Disciple. Not only to disciple others but to be discipled by those around me to grow and be pushed farther than I could ever imagine.

Have high expectations for yourself. Make physical and spiritual goals, and go for it. I know I am excited to what God can and will do. The uncertainty of what it all entails is the excitement in this whole thing. Knowing that as you follow God's will for your life you are heading in a direction. The problem we most of the time have, is that we are not 100% sure where it is that we are going. This is when and why we always go off on our own and try to control where we go and what we do. This results in another Spiritual goal, the ?, yes the question mark. the goal God has that I will run after and hopefully at the end or further down the road I will know what that ? is.

Enough about my thoughts about Goals, and Resolutions. 2013 Let's do this