Setting Goals . . .

For much of my adult life I have worked with and under various governmental contracts, which always were accompanied with rules and regulations. Those rules and regulations were generally well-intentioned originally, even if convulsed over time by meddlesome bureaucrats trying to make their mark. One example is the requirement to develop an operating budget. To me a budget is a proposed financial plan intended to be a guide, but it certainly is not iron clad nor perfect. There is no logical way to plan for flooding, but if it occurs it must be dealt with regardless if one’s budget provides for such expenses. Tragically, budgets and most of the regulatory requirements imposed by the government today are no longer actually planning tools . . . they have simply become requirements for box checkers to report that the item is included within the file. However, through the years it has taught me to become goal-oriented; thus, I set goals. I never set goals and plan merely for the sake of planning . . . I plan and set goals to achieve a desired, specific result. I write this blog for folks I love . . . and I believe I know some things about planning that just might help them down the road, thus a few tricks I have learned about setting and accomplishing goals are as follows:

1. The difference between a wish and a goal is pretty simple . . . the goal is written down, while the wish remains in my head/heart of imagination. There is just something about taking the wish and writing it down as a goal that makes it achievable. Quit dreaming and wishing . . . write it down and start planning (aiming);

2. Each goal I set for myself ought to be accompanied by a target date (or steps) in order that as I move forward in time I am able to measure the success of the steps I am taking to reach my goal; e.g. if my goal is to have a savings account balance of $1,000, I need to decide if I want to reach that place in a one-year period or over a ten-year period. If I want to accomplish that goal in a year, yet in six months I have saved zero, I can determine what I am doing is not working, and can modify or adjust my efforts (the simple math formula is: $1,000 divided by 12 = $83.33 per month that must be set aside);

3. Goals ought to be reasonable . . . it would be unwise to set a goal to purchase a home and pay the mortgage off in one year, under normal circumstances. Remember, a person who weighs 150 pounds can only eat a 3,000 steer one bite at a time;

4. Reaching goals can be made easier if I can break them down into smaller components and smaller time frames. Example: Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player in history. In fact, he was so great that he actually managed to retire twice . . . with great interest by the fans. After 15 years of playing basketball, he had averaged just over 32 points per game . . . that is a huge accomplishment with 90+ games per year. A reporter asked him, “How did you manage to do that?” Jordan replied, “My goal was to score eight points per quarter. I did what it took each quarter to do that!” He took the bigger goal and broken it down into smaller, more manageable parts;

5. God gave each one of us an incredible ability to hit what we aim at, and oftentimes we hit nothing because that is just what we aimed at. Most kids have had a Dad, uncle, granddad, or someone teach them how to shoot a BB gun. The kid can shoot 100 rounds at a soda can without hitting it, but with some minor instructions . . . e.g. “here is the front sight, here is the rear sight, close your left eye, look along the barrel and slightly line the small ball of the front sight up above the V of the rear sight, and line them up with the soda can. Hold your breath and squeeze the trigger.” Bang . . . in just a few tries the ten-year-old kid is hitting the soda can consistently. Think about the physics involved in all of this . . . a 10-year-old kid . . . hurling a 1/16″ metal ball through space at the rate of speed of 800′ per second over a 50′ span and hitting a target of 2″ width. It almost seems impossible when considered from that perspective; yet, our Creator gifted us with an amazing ability to hit what we aim at!

I challenge you . . . develop a plan for something you have been wanting to accomplish. Establish a few reasonable steps (things you must do to make it happen), add a timeline to measure your progress (much like mile-markers along the highway), roll up your shirt sleeves, and get to work turning your dream into your reality. Keep in mind that your unwillingness to stick to the plan might prove to be the biggest obstacle.

Just a personal note: if you are my family, you know the place from which I started the life experience . . . one of eight children in a lower-income family. As a young married man with two small children, I had a dream of building and owning an apartment complex. I was plagued with problems known in the industry as Barriers to Entry . . . roadblocks established to keep the unqualified from getting into the development business. A few barriers were (the need for):

. . . a strong financial statement
. . . an established track record
. . . the required 15% down payment (15% of a million bucks is a bunch of money)
. . . strong credit history

Yet, in spite of those huge barriers, the Lord blessed my hard work and planning and actually had a government agency pursue me . . . asking that I assist it with developing a new housing program. The agency’s need, together with my ability and willingness, constituted “sweat equity” . . . which enabled the agency to reduce the prohibitive requirements. It got me in business . . . and the rest is history! I have been developing, building, buying, remodeling, selling, trading, and managing apartment complexes over about 75% of Texas for 40 years! In fact, I am within five years of having my first complex paid off at the bank . . . that is the almost perfect place to be in my business!

Planning, dreaming, and hard work are tools the Lord can use in a human’s life. Be wise . . . be prudent . . . be a dreamer . . . be a planner . . . be a hard worker . . . and set some goals! Be wise with the success it will produce . . .

 

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