Why Goals Matter?

by Bernard Haynes 

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”   Zig Ziglar 

I have been preparing for a mentoring conference in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday, Septemeber 28th. I will be presenting a forty-five minute workshop on my program Goals Matter! I am excited to share with several other workshop facilitators and keynote speakers at this conference.

The conference is from 9 am to 4 pm. If you are in the Montgomery area please check out the Mentoring Matters Conference. My blog post today is the post I ran last year that initiated my Goals Matter! Empowershop.

If you ask most people, what their goals and plans for their life or family are, many would not be able to give you specifics. Some would give vague and unrealistic answers and say things like, “I want to be wealthy”, “do God’s will” or “own a business”.  They will give general answers that are not goals, but are dreams that are desired by many people.

What is a Goal?

A goal is an aim, a purpose or a sense of direction toward which you move all of your energies, desires and efforts. Goals are the targets toward which you point your life. Goal setting is an extremely powerful tool for accomplishing your life’s vision.

Do you have a plan?

Many of us attempt to live our lives without a real plan. Imagine a football coach trying to lead a football team without a game plan, a builder trying to build a house without a blueprint or a CEO trying to lead a business without a business plan. All of the above examples perpetuate confusion because the leaders are trying to operate without a plan.

You must have clear and specific goals that give your life direction. Without clear goals you can end up going around and around in circles living an unproductive and unsatisfied life.

Ask yourself these important questions. 

• Have you sought God for your goals?
• Have you written down your goals?
• Do you have a plan on how you are going to get to where you want to go?
• Have you determined the benefits you and others will enjoy by reaching your goals?
• Have you identified the obstacles to reaching your goals? 
• Do you know what resources, skills or people you might need? 
• Have you set realistic dates for accomplishing your goals? 
• Do you have a progressive attitude that will push your toward the accomplishment of your desired goals?

Until you seriously answer these and other important questions, you really do not have goals; you may have a set of stagnant dreams.

Work is required

Goals are not written in concrete or unchangeable terms, but they do give you a starting point and a destination to reach. I am not promising a magical formula that provides a guarantee that your goals will automatically happen if you read this material or attend some expert’s seminar. Nor am I suggesting that if you follow our twelve steps you will have no struggles and everything will happen in your life the way you want and the exact time you desire.

Please realize that to achieve your goals, you are going to have to make sacrifices, become committed, overcome challenges and work your plan. You are the one responsible for working on your goals. Your life will have greater meaning when you are working on goals that move your life forward.