Setting Goals

1. The value

Some people are really down on setting goals. To some people goals are simply things they will later feel bad about next year for not achieving. But I believe setting goals is a wonderful thing to do. While I love it when I 100% hit a goal, I don’t set goals or like goals because they help me do everything I want to do 100%. I like setting goals because by setting a goal, I do better than I would have without setting a goal. For example:

• By aiming for a weekly date night I might end up going on a date 1-2x a month. But setting a weekly goal and hitting it twice a month is still better than setting no goals and then not doing it at all.
• By aiming to lose 50lbs this year I might end up only losing 20lbs. But setting a goal to lose 50lbs and then only losing 20lbs is still better than setting no goals and then losing no weight whatsoever.
• By aiming to save $5,000 this year I might end up only saving $2,000. But setting a goal to save $5,000 and then only saving $2,000 is still better than setting no goals and then saving nothing.

By setting goals, even if we don’t achieve those goals 100%, we do better than not setting any goals at all.

2. The categories

1. Faith. How will I deepen my personal relationship with Jesus this year?
2. Family. How will I deepen my relationship with my spouse and children?
3. Finance. What’s my plan to be a good steward of the resources God entrusts to me?
4. Fitness. What’s my plan to be a good steward of my temple (my body)?
5. Friends. Who do I want to spend more time with this year?
6. Fun. What do I plan to do for fun this year? What will I sink time and money into for recreational purposes this year?
7. Field. What work-related goals do I have for the upcoming year?

3. The motivation

Now if you need some motivation to set goals, here you go…

In Mark McCormick’s book What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, he shares how in 1979 the graduates of Harvard MBA program were asked if they had clear written goals for the future and made plans to accomplish them. Only 3% of graduates had written goals and plans. 13% had goals but not in writing and 84% had no specific goals at all. Well, ten years later in 1989 the 13% who had goals not in writing were earning 2x as much as those who had no goals at all (84%). But the 3% of graduates with clear written goals were found to be earning on average 10x as much as the other 97% of graduates. The only difference between groups were the clarity of the goals when they graduated. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are your initial thoughts on goal setting?
2. In light of the great benefits of setting goals, why do you think so many people are averse to doing so?
3. What do you think is the value of writing your goals down?