by Lori Lorig
I’m not talking about unrealistic resolutions that you really don’t plan on doing much about but true goals.
Zig Ziglar says that there are four reasons people don’t set goals.
- Fear
- Poor Self-image
- No buy-in (to goals)
- Don’t know how to set goals
Fear: Fear of failure can paralyze people. I see this in church. People are afraid they won’t succeed; so instead of writing a goal down, they don’t set a goal other than to perhaps maintain the status quo. No one can hold them accountable if they don’t communicate a defined improvement goal.
Fear is effective. There is fear of doing something you’ve never tried before. Recognize the devil is in the fear. When we aren’t motivated and working hard for God’s kingdom the devil makes progress and generally our local congregations do not.
Poor-self-image: If you can’t imagine yourself accomplishing your goal, you likely won’t set it. Self-talk such as “I could never achieve that,” will keep a person paralyzed.
No buy-in to goals: If I don’t understand the point, get the point, or see the value of the goal, I just won’t do it.
Don’t know how: We often can set a goal, but then don’t understand there is actually a strategy that needs to be developed in terms of how you will accomplish the goal. What’s my plan? How will I / we get there?
I see many churches put things on a calendar, but they have no motivation, growth goals or anticipated results defined. It said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” So, what are you aiming for in 2024?