Episode 60: Three Ideas to Help Us Refine Our Spiritual Goals

In this week’s episode, I talk about setting spiritual goals with a desired outcome in mind. Even if our goal doesn’t fall under the category of spiritual growth, there is most likely a spiritual component connected to it. For example, let’s say I set a goal to become more physically fit by exercising 5 days a week. On the surface, this is a temporal goal, but the underlying principle is spiritual--treating our body as a temple and honoring it by caring for it. Another underlying principle has to do with winning the battle of spirit over flesh.

Another goal might be to set aside a certain amount of money each payday. Again, on the surface, this is a temporal goal, but there is an underlying principle that is spiritual----that we free ourselves from the bondage of debt so we are free to use those funds in ways that can benefit others. Other underlying principles are the principles of provident living and self-reliance. 

As I have thought back to the goals I set in January, I can see that most of my temporal goals, do indeed, have a spiritual counterpart. But I also noticed something else that surprised me. Some of my goals weren’t really goals. They were just action steps. 

In the past 3-4 months, I’ve come to understand some important points related to setting goals. In this episode, I share three of them.

KEY POINTS

#1:  Goals are about growth and becoming.  

Marvin J. Ashton said this, “The direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are at the moment. Goat setting should cause us to stretch as we make our way.” 

I hear two important principles in this statement. 1. Goals are meant to help us move beyond where we are at the moment, and 2. Goals require effort. 

If our goals don’t cause us to stretch or grow, can they really be considered goals? 

Stretching requires opposition. Resistance. If what we set as goals are merely accomplishments we hope to check off, then maybe it would be more appropriate to refer to them as items on our “To Do” list for the year. Nothing wrong with that. It’s good to have a bucket list for the year.

#2:  Begin with the end in mind. 

In a 1984 BYU Devotional, Elder Russell M. Nelson asked the question, “What would you like said about you at your funeral? Or, if you were to write your own eulogy and you could have only three sentences, what would you want to say?” 

#3:  Once we define, it’s time to design & refine. 

We’ve all heard about setting SMART goals:  Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely, ---- or whatever set of words your organization uses for the acronym. If you’re anything like me, then you may find yourself trying so hard to make your spiritual goals “SMART,” that you lose sight of their ultimate purpose:  Becoming.

As you revisit the goals you set for yourself back in January, ask yourself if they point to a desired outcome. Do they have the potential to help you grow and become a better version of yourself?

“There is no growth in the comfort zone; there is no comfort in the growth zone.”  (Steve Clark)

DO ONE THING

Write down how you hope to be remembered at your funeral in only three sentences.

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RESOURCES

"Begin With the End in Mind" Russell M. Nelson, 1984 BYU Devotional
"The Word is Commitment" Marvin J. Ashton, October 1983