By Steve Gatena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’re sitting on the couch, staring at your old journal.
Another list of goals.
Get in shape, read more, grow the business, be a better dad\u2026
It felt good for about a week. Now it feels like guilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another promise broken.
Another dream left to gather dust.
But the problem was never the dream.
It was the lack of SMART goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vague dreams stay dreams. Make them measurable<\/strong> so you can track progress with grace. Bold faith and wise planning work together. And here’s the part most people skip: Finally, make them time-bound.<\/strong> The fact that you still care about those dreams in the journal means the desire is still alive. Here’s your focus for this week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get specific.<\/strong> Pick one ambiguous dream. Turn it into a measurable action with a clear deadline. Not someday. A date. Take the step. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Steve Gatena. You’re sitting on the couch, staring at your old journal.Another list of goals.Get in shape, read more, grow the business, be a better dad\u2026It felt good for about a week. Now it feels like guilt. Another promise broken.Another dream left to gather dust.But the problem was never the dream.It was the lack<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121],"tags":[119,110,200,690],"coauthors":[398],"class_list":{"0":"post-12148","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-inspirational-stories","8":"tag-bible","9":"tag-christianity","10":"tag-god","11":"tag-inspiration"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12148"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12151,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12148\/revisions\/12151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12148"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=12148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Instead of “get healthier,” try “I will move my body for 20 minutes, four days a week, for the next 30 days.”
Now you have something specific<\/strong> to pray over, something to follow, something to build on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to grade yourself, but to thank God for every small step forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aim high, but keep your goals achievable.<\/strong>
Pray for the clarity to know when to push and when to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not every good goal is the right goal.
The best goals are relevant<\/strong> to your gifts, your season, and His voice.
Before you commit, ask whether this is what God is actually asking of you right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to pressure yourself, but to move with purpose.
Faith without action is just a wish.
Deadlines turn someday into today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You just need a better plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Track with grace.<\/strong> For the next week, simply observe your progress. Don’t judge, just notice the small steps forward.
Check the source.<\/strong> Ask God if your biggest goal right now is the right one for this season. A good goal is not always a God goal. Listen before you sprint.
Anchor your day in this truth:<\/strong> “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep the faith.
And watch what God does with your yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n