This post features Tammy Ward – a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, breast cancer survivor and certified life purpose coach. She is passionate about people, leadership development and living the best life God has for her. Website: twstidbits.blogspot.ca
Why is the idea of goal setting so intimidating to some people – like me?
There are people in my life who are singularly focused and goal-driven people. Kudos to them. But I’ve learned that this is not me, and no matter how many times I read the, “1-2-3’s of goal-setting,” or the, “A-B-C’s of time management,” or the, “just make a list of steps and DO IT!”, nothing seems to help me. I leave inspiring conversations with people who seem to have it all together feeling quite ready to try the tips they gave me, but without factoring in how to adapt these tips to who I am, sooner rather than later, I wind up feeling like a failure because I was trying to shoe-horn myself into their style. So by default, I often don’t end up setting goals and end up flying by the seat of my pants.
Over the last couple of years I started looking at what motivates my behaviour…. and I’ve come to the conclusion that it boils down to fear: fear of failure, fear of disappointment, and fear of what others may think. FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. I also figured out that if I didn’t write my goals down, or tell anyone about them, then no one would know when I had failed miserably – including myself. But by emotionally isolating myself (out of fear), I found it was only leading to feelings of discouragement – a drain of courage. Wow! What a sad way to go through life!
God wants so much more for us.
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” which, to me, indicates that God wants us to set goals and dream big!
So what has it taken for me to step out and set some bold goals? COURAGE!
Here are 4 truths that have helped me understand courage:
- having a deep understanding of who I am in Christ.
- marinating in the love He has for me.
- reminding myself that God’s word says “fear not” over and over.
- being in a community of people who encourage me towards my dreams – who pour courage back into me – while holding me accountable in a way that says, “I believe in you.”
I now encourage you to do the same: plug-in to a community of people, or perhaps a few different communities, who will encourage you. Whether that community is built through face-to-face interaction like Church, or on-line interactions like Red Carpet Life, the net effect will be an increased sense of confidence as you courageously step out to set, meet, and celebrate the achievement of your goals.
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
~Mary Anne Radmacher
Tammy lives in Beaumont, Alberta, Canada, is married to Sherwin, and mom to three daughters: Elisa, Aphia and Blyss. She blogs about leadership and finding purpose, passion and possibility – her journey through breast cancer and beyond.
