I have several goals for 2019. I don’t do new years resolutions, I think there is already too much setup for failure in our thinking about new years resolutions, According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are already against you. Goals on the other hand establish a target for our future. There are several old sayings that come to mind: “Failure to plan is planning to fail” is one really good one.
Goals. You have probably heard of SMART goals already. There are many variations of what SMART 
stands for, but the essence is this – goals should be:
- Specific.
- Measurable.
- Attainable.
- Relevant.
- Time Bound.
Setting a goal like say: “I want to be a better parent in 2019” Would not follow the SMART process of goal setting. Drilling that down into something more like: “I want to pray for my children once a week”. Now with that goal I have met the SMART process:
- Specific. – Pray for my children.
- Measurable. – Can I check myself for achieving this goal? Yep, sure can.
- Attainable. – This is a very real attainable goal.
- Relevant. – This has a real relevant application to my family.
- Time Bound. – This is bound to one week increments.
Don’t set a resolution like “I want to grow closer to Jesus this year” or “I want to be a better Parent (or husband, father, mother or wife)” as these all are great goals to have, but lack the traction to stick with them in a measurable way to allow yourself to see progress and achievement. Progress and achievement in small doses keep us motivated towards our goals.
What are your goals for 2019? I have several, one of which I want to share with you here. One I pray will help you grow closer to the Lord, Live out your faith at home and in your sphere of influence and be more intentional in discipleship of your family:
I am going to add to my blogging schedule a Monthly (Maybe more often, but at least monthly) resource blog. In it I will share resources that have been valuable to Liela and I on topics such as:
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Discipleship
- Family Worship
- Prayer
- Spiritual formation/Spiritual Disciplines
In 25, almost 26 years of marriage and ministry we have read countless books and tools on these topics and have applied many of the truths contained in them to our lives and ministries.
Let me encourage you today to make 2019 a year of intentionality by setting some clear SMART goals for your spiritual lives, the lives of your spouses and children. Want help setting intentional goals for your family? Liela and I are here to help, reach out through the contact form and we would love to walk you through some achievable SMART goals you can start today.