ESTABLISHING A LIFE OBJECTIVE
By: Rick Warren
Many people set goals but few people ever set a Life Objective. Goals relate to separate parts of your life: your career, finances, family, retirement, etc. But a Life Objective sets the direction of your whole life. Your Life Objective is the big picture. There are four tremendous benefits of thinking through and writing down a Life Objective:
IT REDUCES FRUSTRATION - by simplifying decision-making. Every day you are faced with many, often complex choices. Having a Life Objective gives you a standard by which to evaluate which alternative is best for you.
IT INCREASES MOTIVATION - The right Life Objective will inspire you to get up in the morning and persist when you feel like giving up. "Where there is no vision, people perish." Proverbs 29:18
IT ALLOWS CONCENTRATION - Success is largely the result of focusing on one thing and doing it well. Dan Rather has a plaque on his desk that says, "Will what I'm doing right now benefit that broadcast?" A Life Objective helps you focus your time, energy, and resources.
IT ATTRACTS COOPERATION - It is an observable fact that when you decide exactly where you want to go in life, many other people will want to go along with you. People follow those who've clearly figured out who they are and what they are here for.
Find some time this week to get alone in a quiet place to start thinking about a Life Objective. Here are three steps to begin with:
1. IDENTIFY MY TALENTS/GIFTS - Ask "What am I good at?" and "What do I really enjoy doing because I do it well?" When God designed you, he put certain characteristics and abilities into your DNA structure. That combination of traits makes you unique! God wants you to do what he has gifted you to do!
2. REVIEW MY EXPERIENCES - Ask "What have I learned?" Our greatest lessons come from our hurts and pains. These need to be factored into a Life Objective.
3. DECIDE WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT - The urgent is not always the important. Williams James, the father of American psychology once said, "The best use of your life is to invest it in that which outlasts it." So ask "What is going to last the longest?"
"Keep a vigilant watch over your heart, that is where life starts keep your eyes straight ahead, avoid all sideshow distractions. Watch your step and the road will stretch out smooth before you." Proverbs 4: 23, 25, 26 - The Message
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.
Rick Warren is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century.