“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.”
– David Allen

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
- Theodore Roosevelt

“There are two primary choices in life: To accept conditions as they exist, Or accept the responsibility for changing them.”
- Denis Waitley

“It is observed that successful people get ahead in the time that other people waste.”
- Henry Ford

“The difference between those who do something and those who do nothing is that the ones who do something…DO SOMETHING.”
-Banning Liebscher

This will be quite a bit different than many of the other articles that I have put up…but it is something that has been on my heart for quite a long time now…and as humorous as the above video is, unfortunately I think it probably struck a chord with just about everyone who will see this.  I know it certainly did with me.  Even now, I am feeling the temptation to go to the artist’s YouTube page and see what other witty videos he has put up.

Isn’t it interesting how temptation can work to break your focus?

It is a desire of mine to write and post something on here at least once a day.  I want to write a book and the way to do that is obviously by starting to actually write consistently and to write on subjects that can be formed into a cohesive book…and while a lot of the posts I have put up on here have been fairly long, there has not been much of a consistency throughout the different posts.  After spending some time doing some research on other “pro-bloggers”, I’ve decided to start writing in parts—similar to how a lot of pastors will preach a sermon series over a few weeks as opposed to trying to cram a ton of information into one message.

To change directions a bit, (and also to kick myself in the butt to get more proactive about, well, being proactive), I am going to be doing a series on productivity and goal setting…things that are very practical and extremely useful, but sadly not very much embraced in the lives of many Christians.  The fact is, one of the main reasons I am choosing to write about a lot of this is because I know that I need to set more concrete goals and pursue them.

It has long been said, “If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it every time.”

How much of our time is spent doing useless things that are simply time-fillers?  I know that even in the time I have sat here typing this, I have felt the urge to check my e-mail, facebook posts, and to search around the internet for more quotes about goal-setting rather than coming up with original content about goal-setting!

The fact is that there is so much time wasted in maintaining our social networks, our facebook pages, twitter updates, and various other things that often we can lose sight very quickly of radically pursuing the goals and dreams that God has for us.  One of my goals is to write every day and to be more proactive about coming up with original content.  I mean, we have the Creator of the Universe living inside of us…one would think we would be a bit more creative!

“And then God answered: “Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”
-Habakkuk 2:2-3 (MSG)

“Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]–blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.”
-Proverbs 29:18 (Amplified)

God has been speaking to me a lot about the verses above and the value of writing down goals so large and so in my face that it is impossible to miss.  I set up a free calendar that shows up on my computer’s desktop so that I can’t get away from my “goals” and “to-do list”…I suppose it is a start.  If anyone is interested, it can be found here.

I will write more on this tomorrow…no need to create a bunch of really long posts…I have a feeling this will be the first of many to come on this topic.

In the meantime, why not start off by getting some goal sheets?

1.) Lifetime dreams and goals

2.) Goals to be completed in 12 months

3.) Goals to be completed in 30 days

What are some of your goals for this month? Once you’ve set the goals, then take some time and list the practical steps that would be needed in order to assure that they are met on time.

Don’t hesitate to comment…I’d love to hear them!