Tag: goals

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How to Hit Goals and Dreams Instead of Quitting

Most goals and dreams don’t come to fruition. Most of the time we give up before the result we desire. That can be a depressing statement, but I believe it’s fixable. I want you to hit your goals and dreams. You want to hit your goals and dreams. Mind blown, I know.

 I have been thinking about one of my favorite quotes from Jon Acuff, “Give the grave only bones.” Steward well all that God has given to you. God has given you tasks to do, dreams to reach, and goals to hit.

Goals and Dreams Don’t Have Constant Returns

Often times we think of goal outcomes as having a constant state of return, however, I have not found that to be true. When we change behavior on the way to a target we need to have a realistic time frame for visual change. Physically it’s easiest for us to understand this concept of slow change. I could lose five pounds and you wouldn’t be able to tell that I had changed physically. What’s more difficult is it takes a long time for me to lose five pounds. Somehow it’s not so long for me to gain that pesky five though. It’s funny how that works.

Any goal is the same slow growth. Actions for a period of time are required for change and change is hard to see until it’s not. Somehow one day all of a sudden change is visible and people start wanting to know your secret. When you are tempted to quit on your goals remember that change will happen in time, but probably not as quick as you would like.

Fall in Love With the Process

Process matters more than the end results. If we are only shooting at targets when we hit that target, we will stop. I have ran a few marathons and guess what happens when I finish those races? You guessed it. I stop running cold turkey with no effort; I’m that good. I hit the target and it is over. No race to aim for so no running for this guy. Same things happen when we aim at the target of a certain weight. People usually yo yo back to the old weight because the target is reached.

Make the target more about the process and you can maintain a new habit that you can build upon. A great example is to process out things that you enjoy that will help you lose weight. Workout a half hour a day six days a week and cut drinks that aren’t water and you will hit the goal and keep sailing on. Don’t fall for the yo yo of goal, hit, and done. Aim in a direction and make a habit that will last.

Goals and Dreams Need to be Yours

People that love you have great ideas for your life. They love you and want the best for you. Many times people form their goals that other people want them to have and not what they want. When my wife and I were first married she really wanted to pray together so I made it a goal. It never worked because I was too insecure about praying out loud and I failed at the goal. I have grown now and want to pray with her. I now don’t struggle to pray with her because I’m ready. Goals inspired by God and that burn deep in your heart are goals that have a chance. Pursue goals and dreams that you have, not what others want you to do, and you will have a chance at reaching them.

You can reach your goals and dreams that are brewing in your heart. You are full of potential, you have achieved some of those things, but if you have breathe in your lungs there is more work for you to do. Make goals and dreams yours, fall in love with the process, and be patient with the time they take. Keep God in focus and chase those dreams.

What helps you to not quit your dreams and goals?

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Having Joy While Chasing a Dream

I’m a serial dreamer. I always have something cooking in my mind and I’m pretty sure that’s the case for every entrepreneur. It’s a blessing often to be a dreamer, but it has some challenges as well. When you are a dreamer you live in a constant state of reality, not matching the dream. Always improving and tinkering, wavering back and forth between being in a state of feeling overwhelmed or bored. It’s a big reason why I wrote Chasing Dreams in a Minivan. Early on I was failing at bringing joy along while chasing a dream.

Joy is not based on circumstances, but man it’s a lot easier when circumstances are “right.” For example,  when I reach the summit of a mountain, joy is a lot easier than when I’m struggling up a shale rock path taking two steps forward and sliding back three steps. The problem is that hiking up the mountain takes up the majority of time. So please don’t be like Eeyore, it’s kind of sad. When you need joy in the journey I’ve got a few tips that should work for you, so give them a shot.

4 Ways to Have Joy While Chasing a Dream.

Kingdom Perspective Brings Joy While Chasing a Dream

God gives us many of the dreams in our hearts and we chase after them for His glory and in His name. I have noticed though that slowly I take the dreams that He has given me and make them an idol. An idol is when we take a good thing and make it the main thing. I think in our in-between state it’s easy to obsess over a dream that has not been realized. When we notice our joy leaving us we need to remember that the dream is great when God is chased above all. In a kingdom perspective we pursue God and the dream below that. Then we have the fruit of the spirit which one of them is joy. It is really that simple, however, I must confess it’s not easy. I often need help getting there and so I added some tips below.

Stepping Away Brings Joy While Chasing a Dream

Even as adults we need a timeout. Some of us more than others. One of the things that happens in a timeout is that blood pressure lowers and perspective returns. The bigger the loss or heartache, we need to step away a little longer. Take some time in nature; go for a walk or even get away out of town and out of cell phone reception. When we get away from it all we can hear God’s voice whisper to our hearts and fan the flame of passion for a dream. In those moments we can be drawn back to a Kingdom viewpoint and have joy in the journey.

Exercise to Hear

I have been working out a few days a week and it helps my joy level. My mind is so active and sometimes I act like I can worry and stress my way out of the depression. That maybe if I think about it long enough, bam! It’s suddenly okay. When we exercise there is a certain point when oxygen is hard to come by that stress and pressure dissipate. A bonus of exercise is that creative ideas happen when our body is moving. Connect with God by exercise and watch joy make an appearance.

Surround Yourself with Your Tribe

Sometimes I just need a hug and told it’s going to be okay and I’m not a failure. In our chase to reach our dreams we can take on the identity of the dream and forget that our identity is in Christ. In these moments we need people that we trust that can speak the truth of our identity in Christ over us. When we can’t see who we are we need them to remind us of who we are. Surround yourself with people that love you and love Jesus to remind you of who and whose you are to have joy return.

We will have moments on the journey that just plan suck. Other points will make you cry and question why. The key is not to get so frustrated that you don’t see Jesus in the moment because He is there with you. Take a moment and step away, exercise to get out of your mind, and get encouragement from your tribe. God wants to do something through you but more than anything He wants to do something in you. When we commit our lives to God and focus on Him and in the end TRUST Him and His plans we will be filled with joy.

How do you bring joy to the journey?

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Overcome Failure to Reach your Dreams

“I just love failing,”said no one ever and if they did, they are an insane in the membrane. We do not like to fail, but failure is part of the dream chasing journey. If you are going to chase a dream you are going to fail. The key is not letting failure stop you so that you can overcome failure to reach your dreams. There have been times in my life that I have failed and quit and there have been times that I have pressed on and achieved what was in my heart. I’m sure the same thing can be said for you.

As I look back on my journey, I have discovered some differences in my bounce rate on failure. So how do you go from defeated to a hopeful dream chaser again? As Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without the losing your enthusiasm.”

These 4 things will help you overcome failure to achieve your dreams.

Autopsy a Failure

This can be hard to do, however, is critical to learning from failure. Failure is good IF we learn from the situation. Often times it’s our expectations that are off and we need to address that otherwise we will have the feeling of failure more than we are actually failing. In other instances there are key mistakes that we made. Sometimes to know if we made a mistake we need to get an outside perspective because it’s too personal. Look back and see what went right and what went wrong and how you can fix the problem in the future.

To Overcome Failure to Reach your Dream Know Your Identity

We can over identify with failure and it leads to discouragement and worse yet it can cause us to give up. You are a son or daughter of the King of the Universe. No matter if you succeed or fail at something your identity never changes. This is so important because when we over emphasize failure or success we close our eyes and our ears to things we need to hear or see. When we know that we are righteous men and women of God regardless of our production, we bounce back from failure much faster.

Do You Need to Change Your Path?

We need to ask ourselves if we are on the right path when we fail. Sometimes I have failed because I don’t have the talent or ability to do something. I don’t want to dedicate the time and energy to become better. Sometimes I don’t want it bad enough. Ask yourself if you would chase the dream regardless of “success.” If you would even if it didn’t work out wipe those tears and get back up! If you wouldn’t chase the dream wipe those tears and try to find a dream you would and try that.

To Overcome Failure to Reach your Dreams Take a Break or get Busy

Sometimes when you “fail” you just need to take a break. I took a hiatus away from writing a few months after releasing my book. You can get it here. The launch didn’t go as planned and I was tired. I needed to take a break from writing to find my voice again. On another occasion when an editor told me I didn’t have what it takes to write, I wrote ten posts in a few days and got featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. Sometimes you will need to break for a season and it’s okay. Other times you need to put the pedal to the metal and get busy. Take some time to look inward and then do what you feel called to do.

When you fail and you will remember that it’s not who you are. You can rise from the ashes and be different. Be kind to yourself in these moments. Take some time to encourage another dreamer because we all could use it. Dream big, fail small, and never lose that glimmer of dream chaser in your eye.

What causes you to overcome failure to reach your dreams?

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4 Tips to Figure out Which Dream to Follow

Often we wait for answers that we won’t ever get. We wait for one hundred percent clarity. I was reminded of this today as the fog was thick on my way to work. I could sit there, but the reality is that I won’t have any better vision of what’s ahead by sitting still. The same is true for our dreams; clarity on the direction we should go happens when we move. We will not find out which dream to follow sitting still.

The uncomfortable truth is that direction is usually better seen looking back rather than forward. It’s uncomfortable because people crave certainty and the life of a dreamer chasing God’s direction is that faith is not certainty. Actually faith requires doubt otherwise it is certain.  

For many the roadblock to chasing dreams is two good paths. The options can be overwhelming and freeze our motion and send us into a spiral downward in the mind. It’s easy to get stuck in a back and forth battle one day choosing one option and the next a different. Multiple good options can lead to decision overload.

In Acts 15:28 it states, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.” These early leaders were building foundation to modern day Christianity and they were deciding major doctrine. Their response is that they went with, “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us.” Seemed good! If it would have been me, I would have waited until they knew it was good.

 In our search for direction, we want a path with no failure and zero setbacks. Sign me up for that one! However, the path looks a little scarier with lots of setbacks and failure. That’s a lot of why we don’t get shown the whole picture because we never would do it! Too many creepy mice and other scary things on that path. I’ll stay right here and wait on God.

When paths become available we need to do a few things to choose the “right” one.

There is NO Right Dream to Follow

The first rule is there is no RIGHT one. When we make a decision that isn’t a sin issue or an all-encompassing one, we give too much weight to the decision. Yes, I’m sure that it is important, but I don’t think that if you choose the wrong good option your world is over. If you go and it turns out to be “wrong” you can pick a new path. Maybe God wanted to teach you something on that path for a while. Most decisions are not final or fatal. Finally, if you go down the way a little bit and realize it’s not the dream you thought it was, just make a new decision. Shrink the size of the mountain to actually choose.

Ask God

Pray about it and seek God. The writer of Acts said that it seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to them. They were talking with God and did what they thought God was telling them to do. Listen more than you speak when you ask. Sometimes we ask and plead instead of asking Him and waiting for Him to speak. Asking God and doing what you think He is telling you is the only way to have joy and peace on your journey.

Get Council

There are people that have struggled with decisions and know you well. Ask them what they think and what they notice. It could be that you are actually excited about one career, but you’re scared. Your family or friends will be able to pick up on things like that. They can also tell you their stories about why they chose different jobs and what the messy middle was like before it worked out. Glean from experience and wisdom to help you make the decision.

With council, make sure that you don’t abdicate the decision to them and that you listen to God above all else.

Get Away to Figure Out What Dream to Follow

When making decisions I need time away by myself. This world is really noisy and it’s hard to get silence and solitude. However, it is super important to remove yourself from your environment to get a clear view and listening ears to hear God. The bigger the decision, the more time away from the noise I recommend. Get out of town, go for a hike, take long walks in the morning or evening, sit next to a river. There are many ways to get away; we just have to make time and space to do it. Get out of the noise to have clarity on the dream.

Shrink the size of the decision to get you moving, pray to God, ask wise people, and get alone with God. In the end, know when you are searching for certainty and when you’re using wisdom. Chase after God and you will be able to figure out what dream to follow in time. If you need more help reaching your dreams, my book goes into further detail and you can get that here.

What helps you figure out what dream to follow?

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Dreams and Goals for a New Year

I had a Facebook memory pop up today from December 31, 2019. I was so excited about 2020 in that memory. The new year is awesome, not so much staying up until midnight though. This guy usually rings in the new year asleep. When a new year begins, I love dreaming about what we are going to do and accomplish as a family and for myself. I’m a goal and dream nerd and I want you to accomplish your dreams and goals too. Everything is possible, hope is palpable.

While 2020 put a beat down on a lot of my plans, how did it affect yours?

One of my favorite quotes, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Mike Tyson said that and I’m pretty sure he is the one that gave us all a right cross to the chin. As I talk to people and examine my own heart, I don’t like what that punch to the face has done to my dreaming heart. I feel and see an insidious invader enter 2020.

Passiveness

I believe we are struggling with a disillusionment hangover and its turned us into a bunch of passive disheartened zombies. Why plan for 2021? Look what happened this last year. From virus to forced shutdowns, its been a year. We can get so drawn to what has been taken away or knocked upside the head, that we wait to plan goals and dream, and most of all HOPE.

Zechariah 9:12 says, “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” Prisoners of hope! How can we be prisoners of hope instead of prisoners of despair?

God is bigger

A lack of hope is when I get my eyes off of the greatness of God and put my eyes on my problems and all the scary unknowns out there. I’m sure you had a lot of hard things this last year and I also know that God was not surprised by this year. I don’t know a lot of why things happened to us, but I do know the greatness and vastness of the Creator. He holds the world in the palm of His hands and sits with us in the moment. When I reach my final destination in Heaven, I’m excited to get a lot of my questions answered. In the meantime, I will choose to remind myself that He has this, He has me, and He has you in the palm of His hands no matter what it looks like.

What can I control?

I like to talk about and think about a lot of what I have no control over. It’s easier to make excuses that way. When I sit in passiveness excuses are comforting, however, I don’t want that for me and I don’t want that for you. I want us to be prisoners of hope, not prisoners of excuses. When we fixate on what we can control, we see even in 2020 most of our goals and dreams could have still been accomplished. I don’t say this to shame you or I, but to remind us that we can do more than we think. The coronavirus didn’t make me gain ten pounds, my stress eating of chips and salsa did that. What can you control? Plan and dream around those things.

Goals and Dreams Need an Eternal Perspective

We get drawn to passiveness when we look at the world or spend our days watching the news. We could be informed on world events in five minutes, yet some of us sit watching the news getting all worked up for an hour or more. Likewise, some get sucked into news on Facebook and Twitter. It gets our minds off of the eternal and onto this fallen world. God has things for you and I to do and we need to get in the business of doing them. This only happens when I remember that God has good works for me to do. It is then that I seek Him and His kingdom. Heaven is where our hope comes from, not current events.

Dreams and Goals Happen with Hope Filled Friends

I have days of struggle and I know that you do too. We need to surround ourselves with friends that remind us of Jesus and that He has things for us to do. We don’t need more friends that complain all day about a plethora of things. If you don’t have friends that remind you to have goals and dreams, maybe this could be one of your goals this year. Surround yourself with other prisoners of hope that raise your mood and expectations about what God will do.

Dare to dream today! If you want help reaching your goals and dreams, I did write a book about it which you can get here. Look to where our hope comes from, focus on what you can control, and move with hope and faith like a child. This year can be your best year yet. I believe God has great things in front of you. I believe the question is, do you? This year be chained and imprisoned to hope.

What helps you live in hope?