Eight Areas of Goal Setting

As the year draws to a close,  many of us sit back and reflect on the year that was (if there are any of you who do not do that, I would like to encourage you to carry out this exercise. It is worth it!) Thinking about your year and how things went is a good way to evaluate the quality of life that you lived; congratulate yourself on milestones that have been achieved and see where you need to put in more effort and concentration. A famous quote comes to mind about this process, 'An unexamined life is not worth living!'

There are 8 areas of life that I would like to highlight for you even as you embark on this important exercise. I have been doing this for the past 2 years and I have enjoyed it. My thoughts on these are shared from one of my famous must-read books titled God's Man Of Influence by Christian author Jim George. In his book, he highlights the following areas in order as follows;

1. Spiritual - You cannot impart to others what you do not have yourself. And the thing that is most important to imparting others is your vibrant and growing life in Christ! How is your walk with God doing? Are you in contact with him 24/7? 
2. Mental - Your mind is like your muscles, the more you exercise it, the better the shape it is in, and the better it serves you. So how do you develop your mental muscles? One of the best ways to do this is through reading. 'You will never be a leader in any area of your life if you are not a reader in those areas of life.' Go ahead and develop a reading plan for your year.
3. Physical - How is your body doing? How different is it from the one that you started with at the beginning of the year? You need to take care of your body because it is the container that carries who you are; if it is in great shape, it will allow you to move around and accomplish the purpose that God created you for, if it is not in such a great shape, it will be a hindrance to your work. Work out a plan to take care of it. One of the things that I have learnt this year is that I do not need to do the things that others are doing, e.g. jogging in the morning. I came to realize that I do not enjoy this activity and I find it very tedious. So what do I do? I enjoy dancing, and therefore I downloaded some Zumba and dancing clips from the internet that I dance to regularly. Nowadays, I look forward to my exercise time!
4. Social - Setting goals for your relationships are equally important. They need to be set in the following order of priority: your family, your friends, your workmates, neighbours and strangers. Be willing to go to the ends of the earth, if need be, to find those relationships that will either 'pull you along' or 'pull you up' and avoid those that would 'pull you down'.
5. Vocational - Work was the primary reason that God put man in the Garden of Eden. His instruction to them was to 'work it and keep it' (Gen. 2:15). Please note that this did not happen after the fall of man, but before the fall of man. Therefore, work was God's initial design and not a result of Adam's sin. How would you rate your work this year? Have you worked 'as unto the Lord'? Are you proud of yourself? Are there areas that you could improve on? If yes, go ahead and plan on how 2012 will be different.
6. Financial - How have you finances looked like this year? How much have you earned in total (from January?) I encourage you to calculate this practically. How much of it have you saved, invested, given in support of others, and spent on yourself? The bible says 'where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'? Where was your heart this year? What do you need to change in the coming year?
7. Family - Your number one priority after your relationship with God, is your relationship with your family. For those who are married, it is your spouse, then children. Many at times we think we need to do big things to show our affection, but I have come to learn that even small gestures show this. E.g; a child deciding to clean up the house without being asked, or writing an impromptu letter to your girlfriend or spouse, or getting someone to babysit the kids as you take your wife out on a date, etc. Such things are small in themselves but they go a long way in communicating your love to family members. How is your relationship with your family doing? Are there things that you can improve on? Go ahead and set goals on them.
8. Ministry - The bible tells us that we are the body of Christ, and this body (like our physical body) has different parts, and each part does its work to aid the whole body. God has given each one us of us different gifts to be used for the overall good of Christ's body. Have you been involved this year in active service to others, using the gifts that God has endowed you with? How can you plan to do this more next year?

Ever since I read this book in 2009 (which I recommend for every man to purchase and read), I have kept thinking through these eight areas of life regularly to see how I am doing. Welcome to the journey!

Remember this....'An unexamined life is not worth living!' Go ahead and examine your life!

Have a merry Christmas and a blessed 2012!

Quote:

'It concerns us to know the purposes we seek in life, for then, like archers aiming at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain what we want.' 

- Aristotle