Setting the Right Goals

As the first quarter of the year has almost ended, you may be thinking about adjustments to your goals you want to make. I am not the most organized and have come to realize, it takes time and effort to grow and change. We all know this, but sometimes we forget to take the steps to actually make change happen. Here are some tips to help you make that lasting change we all crave in our lives.

First of all, put your goals on the calendar. A lot of times we get going with whatever we're doing and we think in terms of big plans, but we don't ever really plan for getting anything done. So as you're doing this, start putting things on the calendar with a due date and steps along the way to achieve those steps. These little steps help us achieve a bigger goal.

Overcoming fear is a big obstacle to achieving your goals. You may be saying, "I'm not really sure if this is what I want to do. I'm a little afraid. What if it doesn't work out?" However, think of it this way.

What's the worst that could happen to you?

If you go and ask someone as far as making your plans, the worst they could do is say no. Nothing bad is really going to happen as you go through these plans and you start to set your goals. I would really encourage you to create mass accountability. So let's say you write down three things you want to do in the first quarter of the year. Tell someone else. Put it on your blog. If you put something on a blog or your Facebook or other social network site, then you have mass accountability, because you are making those three goals public.

Another motivator is to treat yourself when you achieve a goal. Meaning, reward yourself so that if you do achieve a goal, you see a tangible benefit. That doesn't mean you have to reward yourself for everything. But every now and then, treat yourself!

Let's say you set a business goal and you succeed in it. That goal doesn't always have to be about money. Maybe that goal is writing two blog posts from now until the end of March. If you do that, then give yourself a treat. Give yourself a reward that you would appreciate. Maybe a meal out at your favorite restaurant or splurge on your favorite pair of shoes.

These are some great steps you can take to setting and achieving your goals rather than just having unclear goals that you never actually reach. Try setting your goals today. Make sure you put them and the steps to achieving them on your calendar so you have some realistic milestones to reaching those goals.

I am taking the next few days and really make sure I strategically put together a sound action plan as well as pray God send me an administrative assistant. I really really need help!!!

DOVE’s Love to you!
www.dove-ministries.org
"Preparing Women for Purpose"

Excerpt from Chapter 5 Make A Sound Decision to Change!

It is easy to become paralyzed with fear and do nothing. We are also paralyzed by our constant failures, or just not knowing what to do. Sitting, waiting, existing and doing nothing allows disputes in our minds to escalate. But you know what? Today, right now you can win this dispute. And you know how? Win by choosing to make the decision, by choosing to make the focus of your life knowing God and by making God your purpose in life. If you were to make that decision, I guarantee that it would be completely life changing. You will never be the same.

Sisters, in order for us to receive full deliverance we have to be connected spiritually to God. I truly believe when you are in a desperate state it will cause you to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. It is when your backs are against the wall and when you are in a place where you don’t know what to do, that is when we are forced to make a decision to lean on God or turn further away from Him. This is what I believe happened in the case of our woman with the issue of blood. Based upon what she heard about Jesus, she was motivated to make a decision. The decision changed her life forever.

I believe positioning yourself for purpose is predicated on your next decision. In the book of Ruth, we can see an example of this type of determination through two devoted friends Ruth and Naomi. I am encouraged through Ruth because here we have a young woman who was a princess. She is the great grand-daughter of King Eglon of Moab. She was married to Mahlon who later died and now she is a young widow. She is faced with a situation that is hopeless. She has no husband, no money and no means to take care of herself.

I don’t know if you are aware of this, but in those days widows had no standing in the community and were totally dependent upon the good will of their families and friends for survival. It was the duty of the Priests to look after widows and orphans, but there was no such provision in Moab because there was famine in the land.

But something happens to change her destiny through the wisdom of her mother-in-law Naomi. Chapter 1 verses 6-7 says, “One day she got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah” (Message Bible). Sisters, feeling sorry for yourselves or continue to wallow in your pity parties is not going to help you. Naomi’s action is what I call decisive faith – faith that says, “I have to make the decision and get myself together.” She received a word God was blessing the people and decided it is time to take a step of faith towards her destiny.

This is one of the problems we face as women. When we have things that block our perspective on what is going on, we can be so close to God, but yet so far away. We can avoid the consequences of poor decisions by taking God’s word seriously. You may think you have been rejected, excluded, cutoff and shutout but I want to encourage you that God wants to put a word down in your spirit that will enable you to get up and make a decision to begin moving toward your deliverance.

After examining her situation, Ruth refuses to take “no” as her final answer and decides to leave her current state and go. She decided to go with Naomi to Bethlehem. Ruth did not allow herself to be paralyzed by her lack of a husband. She understood God’s promised provision and was willing to position herself for purpose. She understood it would take acts of obedience and diligence and was able to receive the blessings of God.

Ruth was able to discern when her season was up. In Ruth 1:16 the scripture says, “But Ruth replied, ‘Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’ ” She realized she was in a difficult place because there was a famine. You have to shift your focus. Quit looking at your situation and start anticipating your blessings. Don’t be so preoccupied with your current situation that you don’t see beyond it. For example, if you’re having problems with your job, look beyond it. If you are having difficulties in a relationship, get past it.

Or are you like Orpah? Who was so preoccupied with her situation she could not discern the blessings ahead. Orpah made a decision to turn and go back. Orpah was a woman full of unbelief and empty of wisdom. She made a mistake on making a now decision on a then experience. She was limiting her future to her past. She had more faith in her lack than she had in the promise. Sisters when you do that, you are limiting what you could be based upon what you have been. Just like our sister Orpah, you become preoccupied with problems and situations, when you should be looking at opportunities.

Instead of focusing on negative, develop an attitude of expectancy. To say you were born this way and you will never change ~ negative. To say this is how I am and it is what it is ~ negative. Your current situation isn’t the destination, but a chance to alter the course to get there. You have to take a stand and be bold enough to say like Ruth, “No is not an option,” and declare, “I’m going all the way. I am moving forward!”

Cynthia A. Patterson
Author & Inspirational Speaker
CEO & Founder, DOVE Ministries Inc.
P.O. Box 722338
Houston, TX 77272

Inquiries requesting Cynthia Patterson for church, empowerment seminars, universities, community colleges, corporate, women's retreats and conferences or consultations send an email to info@dove-ministries.org.

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