FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING A GOAL 

THE FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING A GOAL/VISION IS TO HAVE A “CLEAR” GOAL/VISION.

(A definite target, aim, bullseye.)

Habakkuk 2:2 (EXB) The Lord answered me: “Write down the vision; write it clearly (plainly) on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others. 

  •  A. IF WE LACK CLARITY/VISION ALL WE NEED TO IS TO ASK GOD FOR IT AND HE WILL GIVE IT TO US. (the fact that it says: “The Lord answered me”… means that he must have been asking, in conversation with God, praying, inquiring. We cannot get an answer to a question we are not asking.)  

James 1:5 (TLB) If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.  

  • Insight: We can be so busy doing what we have been doing and getting what we have been getting that we have failed to make time to ask God what he wants us to do and how he wants us to do it. To Accomplish what we have never accomplished we must have a vision and set goals to do what we have never done. 
  • B. A VISION THAT IS NOT IN WRITING IS NOT CLEAR AND POWERFUL. (Writing down goals forces us to define them in a specific, concrete and more clear way and it also helps us to avoid generalizations . Writing down goals, engages the brains and encoding process which increases the chances of remembering the goal and ingraining them in our memory.)  
  • Insight: A goal is not powerful if The vision and goal is not clear enough for anyone who reads it to run with it and be able articulate it to others.  
  • Study #1 - (Harvard Business School study conducted in the 1970’s) only 3% of graduates had written goals. Years later, the same graduates were surveyed, and it was discovered that the 3% with written goals had accumulated greater wealth and success than the other 97% combined. 
  • Study #2 - (Conducted by Dominican University of California) research from Dominican University of California found that those who had clear written goals and shared them with others had a 78% success rate. (Goals must be written and shareable to be powerful.)

    • 3 REASONS WHY WRITING DOWN CLEAR GOALS ARE SO IMPORTANT 

    reason #1 

    WRITING DOWN CLEAR AND SPECIFIC GOALS IS THE FIRST STEP OF BEING COMMITTED.

    (We will never succeed in any area that we are not massively committed in. If we are not committed enough to write it we will not have the drive, passion, perseverance and endurance to accomplish it.) 

    Psalm 37:5 (NLT) Commit everything you do to the Lord.Trust him, and he will help you.  

    • Commit: (Dictionary) to devote oneself to, to do, to send into battle, to entrust.  
    • Help: (asa/awsaw) to act, to bring to pass, advance, to grant, provide, to produce.  
    • Insight: Only after we commit does God act. (God will not help us in any area we are not totally committed to and committing to Him. 
    • Insight: The physical presence of a written goal serves as a visual reinforcement of our commitment. Exercise. Write down your goal in three places that you will read daily.

    reason #2 

    CLEARLY WRITTEN GOALS GIVES US SOMETHING TO TRACK PROGRESS.

    (How can we know we are making progress/advancing if we don’t have a destination or target? Tracking results is one of the most important parts of faithful stewardship. It is only in the numbers we track will we see growth and multiplication in. Faithful stewardship leads to greater release of wisdom, resources, influence and supernatural multiplication.) 

    Nehemiah 4:6 (NLT) At last the wall was completed to half its height (50% done) around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.  

    • Insight: They knew they were half way done because they had a clear goal/vision of what they set out to do. Insight: If we can not track our performance by percentages our goal is not specific and measurable enough. We should know when we are at 25%, 50% and 100% of goal. 
    • Insight: The people will not enthusiastically work when the vision is not clear or trackable. 
  • Illustration: When I was in the car business they kept our numbers and the store number and goals in front of us at all times. Everyone knew where we were at personally and organizationally.

    • reason #3

    CLEARLY WRITTEN GOALS ACTIVATE “R.A.S”

    • R.A.S: prioritizes information aligned with our goals which enable us to recognize relevant opportunities, resources and connections that will help us achieve goals. * It is like an invisible highlighter that highlights everything is connected to what we set our hearts and minds on * It is like an invisible hand that grabs and brings in everything we have set our minds on accomplishing. * It is like a social media algorithm that sends us the videos and content that we are searching.

    • Insight: What we set our hearts and minds on will determine what flows in and out of our lives.

    Proverbs 4:23 (AMP) Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

    Proverbs 4:23 (CEB) More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.

    Proverbs 4:23 (YLT) Above every charge keep thy heart, For out of it are the “outgoings” of life.
    • Heart: (leb/lave) mind, will, determination, resolution, appetites, consent. 
  • Springs: (tosa-ot-sa-ooph) outgoing, source, end, results, extremity, geographical bonderies, extremities (will determine how far we will go and what will be delivered to us.

    • ACTION STEPS:

    • EVERYONE SET A 90 GOAL OF HOW MANY D.G’S TO LAUNCH. 
    • EVERYONE VERBALIZE AND SHARE 90 DAY GOAL. 
    • EVERYONE MAKE A LIST OF NAMES OF PEOPLE OF THOSE THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE READY TO LAUNCH OR YIU WILL MAKE READY TO LAUNCH.  
    • EVERYONE WRITE DOWN 90 DAY DATE. (Deadline)  
    • RESET GOALS WITH ALL YOUR LEADERS AND GET THEIR 90 DAY GOALS.  

    QUESTION: WHAT AREAS DO WE NEED TO SET GOALS IN?