This article is to be read after reading How to Set Goals…

Today at church I was very impressed with the message given by the guest speaker. I took the principles from it and thought I’d share it here. The basic message was very clear; you can reach your goals if you follow certain patterns laid out in the bible already. There are 5 different things you need after you have created your goals.

The basis of this can be found in Philippians 3:13-14

1. Character

This almost goes without saying, but if you aren’t a person with a strong moral compass you will not achieve your goals. You may cheat, lie, steal, and back stab your way to your goal, but doing this will never bring fulfillment. The law of sowing and reaping will ensure that what you do to others will come back on you. So make sure your character is developed and only make decisions that line up with who you are on the inside.

If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything. (Anonymous)

2. Competence

This might be one of the most overlooked laws when it comes to completing goals. Each of us comes prepackaged with talents, gifts, and leanings toward certain careers. I believe that if we nurture those talents and focus on them, we’ll have a higher success rate when  reaching for our goals.

For example, I decided that I wanted to play guitar when I was younger. I didn’t have any natural inclination towards the instrument. My rhythm was subpar at best and my ear was even worse. I gave it all I had and now I can play guitar pretty good. I’m not great; I’m ok and can play a song or two. A friend of mine with musical giftings played the guitar for less than a year and advanced well beyond me! It’ doesn’t upset me, because I did the best I could with what I had, but it’s obvious to me now that being a guitar player isn’t my forte.

I’m not saying you can’t do anything you want, but I am saying that there are certain things we are better at naturally. For me, writing has always come easy to me. I loved doing papers in school, but usually struggled with math. So writing a blog is a better goal for me than working on reconciling the disciplines of aerodynamics and physics. Luckily, most of us are drawn toward goals that correlate with our talents. All that being said, if you feel called toward a certain goal, go for it!

We are only as limited as we think we are. (Me)

3. Realistic

This word is always perceived in the negative, but I don’t think it should be. There are so many things that humans have invented that at one time seemed unrealistic. Think of airplanes, space travel, microchips, cell phones, etc. So don’t let the idea stop you. Actually, I’m going to be interviewing a man that wants to find a way to make humans stop eating food! He thinks if we don’t have to eat anymore, the world will be a better place. Be sure to check back for that interview, it’s sure to be interesting.

Anyway, feel free to try anything want, but make the majority of your first goals realistic so you can experience the thrill of accomplishment. Accomplishing goals will allow you the freedom to come up with some more fantastic goals. Here is an interesting thought:

When people say, ‘You’re not being realistic,’ they’re just trying to tag some thoughts that they can’t otherwise handle. - David Brower

4. Progress, Not Perfection

You’ll never accomplish your goals if you’re waiting for perfection. The best thing to do everyday is to take some action toward your goal. Progress is so much more important than perfection. You’ll never be perfect, but you can make progress everyday. If something isn’t working, change it. Don’t get locked into thinking there’s only one way to accomplish your goal! This is the approach I take with my weight loss journey. As of today, I have lost 59 pounds in 5 months. I find that by taking the progress approach I have increased my weight loss exponentially month after month. It sure makes it easier when you’re losing more weight now than when you begin.

It is a bad plan that admits of no modifications. - Publius Syrus

5. Determination

The most important of all the laws is the law of determination. Without it, you’ll not complete anything. You must be willing to go the distance or you’ll be condemned to spend your whole life talking about what you could have done. Or even worse, about how if you’d only have done this or that you’d be a millionaire right now. You can’t win a marathon if you’re not willing to run every mile with all you have. You can’t write a book if you’re not willing to keep on writing. You can’t achieve your goals if you give up when times get tough. The difference between successful people and failures is that the successful people get up one more time.

TWO FROGS FELL INTO A DEEP CREAM BOWL,

ONE WAS AN OPTIMISTIC SOUL,

BUT THE OTHER TOOK A GLOOMY VIEW,

WE SHALL DROWN HE CRIED, WITHOUT MORE ADO
SO WITH A LAST DESPAIRING CRY,
HE FLUNG UP HIS LEGS AND SAID “GOODBYE”

SAID THE FROG WITH A MERRY GRIN,

I CAN’T GET OUT, BUT I WON’T GIVE IN,
I’LL JUST SWIM AROUND TILL MY STRENGTH IS SPENT,
THEN I WILL DIE THE MORE CONTENT.

BRAVELY HE SWAM TILL IT DID SEEM,
HIS STRUGGLING BEGAN TO CHURN THE CREAM,
ON TOP OF THE BUTTER AT LAST HE STEPPED,
AND OUT OF THE BOWL AT LAST HE LEAPT.

WHAT OF THE MORAL? TIS EASILY FOUND,
`IF YOU CAN’T GET OUT… KEEP SWIMMING AROUND!’

Anonymous

Much can be learned from that poem. Determination is the key to success. So get out there and don’t quit! Following these 5 laws will ensure that you can complete any goal you set forth to accomplish.

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Over the summer I took a Public Speaking class at my local community college. I have written previously regarding my experiences in the class, so feel free to read my previous article about the class. With this post I’m going to approach a different subject that I learned while taking the class.

My teacher assigned us a project that I at first thought rather boring. We had to write 25 quotes that we found inspirational, useful, or just plain fun. We weren’t allowed to type them up, we had to hand write them the old fashioned way. I had a lot of free time at work during the summer (slow cell phone sales) so I set to work. I actually had a great time with the project. It was fun to read through quotes and think of instances where I might use certain quotes for speeches or with family and friends in conversation.

Right after I began the project I found out that we could do an extra 50 quotes (75 total) for an extra 50 points. Not being one to miss out on an opportunity I delved deeper into the quotes and ended up writing over 80! I just couldn’t decide which ones to not put in.

Why am I telling you all this? It’s been two months since that project and I still find myself opening up my notebook and reading the old quotes I wrote down. I like them so much that I am starting now to constantly ad more quotes to the notebook. I also use the quotes if I am feeling down, dealing with a situation, or looking for advice to share with a friend. It feels good having a hand written source from the brightest minds in history!

I want to have over 1000 quotes gathered in one notebook by next year. Then, I’ll keep adding more and more as I get older, so when the day comes for me to leave this world, I can leave a notebook of handwritten quotes that affected my life to my family. I think everyone should start this practice. Worst case scenario you can pull it out during a party and at least keep people entertained for a while.
It’s easy, fun, entertaining, helpful, and FREE! Here are a few links to get you started in your quote search.

1) Inspirational Quotes
2) Funny Quotes
3) Business Quotes
4) Success Quotes

Also, don’t forget to write some of your own quotes too. I have a knack for coming up with catchy sayings and for a long time I just forgot them. Now, I use my blog, my journal, or just some scrap paper to keep up with them. Maybe someday I’ll come up with a quote book.

If you decide to leave a comment on this article,

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE!!!

Here’s a favorite of mine:

“Do what you can with what you’ve got wherever you are.” Theodore Roosevelt