Ink It

     Hey Friends!  Can you believe we are halfway through October?  The year is nearing the end, and for many of us, those New Year's resolutions we made back in January may be just a distant memory.  You may have forgotten them weeks, days, or even hours after saying them.  Even if you wrote them all down, they may be shoved in a drawer some where, or you might have tossed them in the garbage mid way through the year and decided to start over next year.  

    Well, the good news is, you don't have to wait until next year.  You can start right now to set your intentions and go after them.  And I want to strongly encourage you to write down your goals, not just so you don't forget what they were, but so you can look at them regularly and keep them in the forefront of your mind.  This is one of the most important steps you can take on the journey to reaching your goals. And here are three types of goals you should have written down if you want to take your life to the next level.  Are you ready?

1.  Long term goals (5 years or more)

    Ask yourself, what do I want my life to look like 5 years from now.  And then start writing.  Write down things like how you will look, who you hang out with, what you drive, where you live, what vacations you take, and what impact you are having on the world.  Sometimes we think our big goals aren't attainable because we can't accomplish them in a month or a year, but we have to keep our eye on the long-term game if we want to truly become all that we are called to be.  Don't let another five years pass without stretching to a new level.  

2.  Yearly goals

    Ok, so a lot of us probably set New Year's resolutions.  But we have to write those resolutions down and look at them on a consistent basis if we want to actually move towards accomplishing them over the course of 365 days.  Begin now to think about what you want to take action to achieve over the next year.   Set goals for the major areas of your life, health, wealth, spiritual, relationships, mental, and career.  Remember, you won't get better by accident.  You have to aim for the things you want.

3.  Monthly goals

    Even if you set yearly goals, that is still a large chunk of time to not lose focus.  So set yourself monthly goals that are in line with your bigger goals.  If you plan to read twelve books this year, then set yourself a goal to read one book this month.  If you want to save $1000 this year, then set yourself a goal to save $85 this month.  Having monthly goals helps you recalibrate on a frequent basis and makes sure you stay on track with your larger goals.  

    I encourage you to take some time today and really begin thinking about these three types of goals.  Start with your five year image and get it down on paper.  Take what you hope to become and break it into concrete goals.  "I have $5000 in savings."  Or, "I am at my ideal weight of ___"  Then decide what you want to strive for in the next year.  Break down those bigger long range goals into smaller chunks.  And lastly, get focused by setting your monthly goals as stepping stones to where you want to be.  You can accomplish so much, but it all starts with writing it down.  

    Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write the vision and make it plain"

    Start today and write it down!  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.L.W.