I don't plan on dwelling too long on this whole goal setting thought, but it might fill the rest of this week. That's because goal setting is something that has both great benefits, but some definable dangers to them. The benefits are that they give you something to aim for, to reach for. They are supposed to stretch you and challenge you to become better in whatever field you set them. The danger is that many of us begin to define ourselves by how we do in regard to our goals, and therefore, if we fail to live up to them, we begin to define ourselves as failures. Therefore, our response becomes that of not setting goals, since we (seemingly obviously) can't live up to them.
With that aside, I do tend to set goals, but I look at them not merely as achievements to be mastered, but as guidelines to get to certain stages that I desire to attain in life. For example, some of my goals this year involve running. Running is great exercise, and it's the kind of exercise I've focused on for the last several years. I set goals on how many miles to cover each week, how many times to go out and run, and how many races I like to enter. These goals keep me motivated on days like today, when the temp is below freezing, but I know that I'll feel much better if I get out there and slog my way through it.
But here's the thing with personal goals, at least in my eyes. While they are of direct benefit to you, they should also have some bearing in your interactions toward others. Think of it from this perspective. Running helps me to feel better, to have more energy, and to consider the food I eat a lot more. That has an impact on my family. When I feel better and have more energy, I'm much more able to focus on them and to do the things that need to be done which benefit my family. My eating habits help us all to eat better, as I focus on not merely my own food, but how to prepare healthy meals for us all. Plus, there are those occasions where I sign up for a race in another town, and we end up turning it into a family vacation time together! So many benefits that go beyond myself.
You can probably also see how these spill over into my working life. I'm a better pastor when I'm feeling good about myself, and when I have energy to focus on the tasks at hand. In addition, since running often involves endurance and working through difficult situations, it helps to prepare me when I find those situations arising at work. Knowing that I can push through a run in freezing temps helps me realize I can also endure that difficult conversation that needs to be had, or to make that phone call that I'd rather avoid.
So, they are personal, but they reach far more people than just myself. I don't focus so much on the letter of achievement (though I tend to do them exactly as I set them up), but on where they are taking me. Maybe that's a healthy way of looking at personal goals. I don't know. What do you think?
With that aside, I do tend to set goals, but I look at them not merely as achievements to be mastered, but as guidelines to get to certain stages that I desire to attain in life. For example, some of my goals this year involve running. Running is great exercise, and it's the kind of exercise I've focused on for the last several years. I set goals on how many miles to cover each week, how many times to go out and run, and how many races I like to enter. These goals keep me motivated on days like today, when the temp is below freezing, but I know that I'll feel much better if I get out there and slog my way through it.
But here's the thing with personal goals, at least in my eyes. While they are of direct benefit to you, they should also have some bearing in your interactions toward others. Think of it from this perspective. Running helps me to feel better, to have more energy, and to consider the food I eat a lot more. That has an impact on my family. When I feel better and have more energy, I'm much more able to focus on them and to do the things that need to be done which benefit my family. My eating habits help us all to eat better, as I focus on not merely my own food, but how to prepare healthy meals for us all. Plus, there are those occasions where I sign up for a race in another town, and we end up turning it into a family vacation time together! So many benefits that go beyond myself.
You can probably also see how these spill over into my working life. I'm a better pastor when I'm feeling good about myself, and when I have energy to focus on the tasks at hand. In addition, since running often involves endurance and working through difficult situations, it helps to prepare me when I find those situations arising at work. Knowing that I can push through a run in freezing temps helps me realize I can also endure that difficult conversation that needs to be had, or to make that phone call that I'd rather avoid.
So, they are personal, but they reach far more people than just myself. I don't focus so much on the letter of achievement (though I tend to do them exactly as I set them up), but on where they are taking me. Maybe that's a healthy way of looking at personal goals. I don't know. What do you think?
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