Seven thoughts on goals in 2024
I love setting goals. I've looked back on past goals that I've set. Some have challenged me, and I've met—Most of which I've strived for and come up short.
I was laughing with a friend as we had about three weeks left in 2023, and he said, "I've looked it up, and if I listen to the Bible on double speed for an hour each day, I can finish my goal of reading the Bible this year." Maybe you feel that. We're five days into 2024, and perhaps you may already feel like you've broken a goal.
Here are a few thoughts on setting and keeping goals in 2024:
Have a plan. Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Having a plan to stick to is the best way to succeed. It's easy to say, "I'm going to try to run more," or "I'm going to eat better." It's a lot more likely to happen if you say, "I'm going to run 3 miles, three days a week at 7 am", or "I am going to cut out all bread for the month of January." Those goals are specific and are much more achievable.
"Start today". We're five days into the new year. You may be thinking that it's already too late to start a goal. It's not. You can start a goal before next year comes around or some arbitrary day. You can start improving things today. It doesn't matter if it is January 5th, February 5th, or December 5th. Start where you are and start doing something TODAY.
Write your goals. There is something about writing your goals and putting them in a place where you will regularly see them and be reminded of them that you'll increase your likelihood of doing them. Goals in our heads are often forgotten. I write my goals every year, and then at the end of the year, I evaluate how I did. It's fun to see the goals that I really cared about and stuck with for the entire year and to see other goals that were just a "dream." I get the opportunity to evaluate if I should give that goal up (like dunking a basketball on a 10-foot rim) or if I should really focus more time and attention on it for the following year.
Set goals that are realistic. I tend to dream big. I want to do the "impossible in no time." I often feel like what I end up doing is "nothing for a long time." You may accomplish less than you hope to this year. But maybe you can set some "multiyear goals." Instead of trying to read 100 books in 2024, you start by trying to read ten books. Instead of trying to run a marathon, sign yourself up for a 5k. Setting goals that are realistic can have a snowball effect to help you accomplish more than you realized you could over a sustained period of time.
Don't set too many goals. I've tend to need to improve at this. In the past, I've set 15-20 goals for the year, and by February, I couldn't tell you a single one of them. Minor improvements over a sustained period of time will have significant benefits. Start with one goal that you've always wanted to accomplish. Memorize it, think about it, write it, and then do it every day.
Share your goals with someone who will hold you accountable. Find a spouse, a friend, or a coworker that you can trust with your goals. Tell them what you want to accomplish this year, share how important it is to you, and ask them if they'll ask you how you are doing with it. Knowing that they will ask will help you stay committed at the points when you may want to give up.
Prepare to get back on the wagon. There will probably be a point this year where you'll stop pursuing your goals. Maybe a sickness, a life change, a job change, a relationship, whatever it is... life happens. You may have a week, a month, or a whole season where you look back and have completely forgotten about your goals. Don't be afraid to jump back on the wagon at that point. You don't have to wait for another year to come around to pursue a goal.
Goals are reasonable, but goals are not God. Don't let your goals become your idol. Our identity is in Jesus Christ, so don't let goals become your source of pride or discouragement. I'll conclude by reminding you of the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 3:13-14 - "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Press on,
-Chris