Growing your Leadership Capacity
When it comes to starting a church or trying to bring about change, what does it look like to you? Can you describe the end result with great detail? One of the most important disciplines you can do to help ensure your success in these areas is to write down on paper what’s in your head.
Over the years, I have written out my goals in three specific categories of my life: physical goals, professional goals and spiritual goals.
Most people never write out their goals. Instead they drift through life going wherever the current of circumstance takes them. However, committing your goals to paper isn’t the magic wand…it is just the beginning.
Here are five quick reasons why you should write out your goals:
1. It brings clarity.
When you take time to write out your goals, it forces you to be certain about where you are and where you want to be. That small exercise brings great clarity and lets you know when you are actually moving, and if you are moving in the right direction.
2. It inspires action.
Writing down your goals is only half of the battle. The next big thing requires execution. You have to take action to see the goals achieved. When I write my goals down and then review them regularly, it inspires me to take the next most important step to achieving it.
3. It creates a filter.
The more success you achieve, the more opportunities will come your way. If you are not careful or have something that grounds you, these opportunities can easily distract and rip you off course. The one thing that has helped me to stay moving in the right direction is to have written goals that I can frequently visit to evaluate every new opportunity that pops up.
4. It elevates courage.
Resistance is just a part of life. Every meaningful intention you have will face resistance in some form. The moment you set a goal, resistance rears its ugly head. When you focus on the resistance it grows in strength and its ability to distract you. The best way to overcome the resistance is to focus on the end goal.
5. It creates avenues to celebrate.
Church work, leadership and life are hard when you don’t see tangible progress. It can feel like you are working day after day and getting nowhere. However, written goals can serve as markers on a highway. They enable you to see where you were, where you have come and how far you have to go. The best part is that they provide the opportunity to celebrate when the end has been reached.
Writing out your goals doesn’t need to be a long and drawn out process. Don’t over think it. Refine the goals as you go. I think you will find the effort and the discipline are well worth the time.