Strengthened for Success: Setting Goals and Stacking Habits

God hasn’t only equipped us with what we need for godliness, but also with all we need for life (2 Peter 1:3). Although there are uncertainties we face, the Bible is full of practical wisdom and speaks on the importance of vision. Having a strategy is important to support us in pursuing and accomplishing goals. Without it, dreams die. Yet, with it, we have direction. We are better equipped to run with the Holy Spirit into our destiny marked by hope and expectancy.

If you’ve got a dream, surely the enemy will try to intercept it from without or within. While he cannot abort what God has predetermined for you, he often seeks to dismantle confidence in the identity and in God’s faithfulness to persuade you to lose heart and give up.

Mapping vision gives you a structure to rest on when you encounter obvious frustrations as well as setbacks you didn’t anticipate. Though you might be tempted to abandon your aims when roadblocks oppose your efforts, you can activate both spiritual and practical strategies to account for the inevitable unknowns in the low places.

Often, once we are on the other side of a struggle, having accomplished a goal, we realize that some of those more challenging lessons were essential in developing our character and skill.

Whether we are refining our personal development through setting goals or forming habits, acquiring new skills helps us to forge endurance in difficulty. Without those experiences, we would lack some of the core competencies that life demands.

Often, we don’t see our resilience or recognize how we continue to rebound from trouble. Yet, God retools these to fortify us, building our resolve and resilience for what’s now and next.

Systems for Your Success

SMART Goal Getter

Having a system such as the SMART framework doesn’t only support goal setting, but also spurs us on to achievement. Developing specific goals clarifies vision and articulates what we desire to see and go. When we identify a goal, we place boundaries on our focus. Like a picture frame, it highlights what’s inside and reduces distractions, so we don’t wander into areas that aren’t part of the goal. We humans can be prone to meander, but establishing a measurement acts as built-in accountability to harmonize our efforts with the result and ensure effectiveness along the way.

While all of us are different in unique ways, using the SMART approach maps our vision and aligns our actions with a clear set of objectives. Considering the goals’ achievability encourages us to ask and answer questions about how we may need to scale, enhance skills, or shift settings needed to cultivate success. While challenges will present in any process, the SMART system allows revision and flexibility as we evaluate if our actions are relevant to our goal and aligned with the values that help us to achieve it. SMART encompasses a framework for managing the flow of our action steps and working within a time frame to support our productivity and refuel us in times of rest.

Stack Your Habits

Habit Stacking

The principle of habit stacking is based on what scientists have discovered about the brain and its processes for acquiring new skills. A Time magazine report suggests that 8% of the population follows through with the goals they set as part of New Year’s resolutions. Eight out of 10 abandon those pursuits in less than a month from the beginning of the year. We don’t have to internalize shame in this but rather pair the findings with an active response in our own lives. When we combine a system for goal setting with a strategy for forming productive habits, we give ourselves an advantage in moving towards God’s shared vision for success in the ways that matter most.

Uniquely, habit stacking allows us to set ourselves up for success by building on existing activities currently part of our daily rhythm. We foster a new practice by connecting it with an existing habit. Keeping it simple and focused can generate progress, activating what’s familiar as a built-in reminder to practice what’s new. This stimulates our minds to overcome the inertia that settles in when we lose momentum. Instead, the practice of compounding nudges the brain to reconnect and reaffirm commitment to the activity we have agreed to do.[1] It rewards us for pivoting in the direction where we want to grow as we uphold a promise to self.

Micro-habits

Micro-habits engage our sense of the practical by engaging in small, yet consistent practices that incorporate desirable behaviors into our existing life rhythm and routine. They allow us to pivot through current challenges by making minor adjustments that produce major change. Successful results emerge not from a single grand undertaking, but rather from the compounded effects of persistent efforts. Progress will tell the story and provide evidence for the effectiveness of micro-habits. Watching our wins unfold will continue to reinforce and expand other meaningful practices that align with what we want to achieve.

Strengthened for Success

While we may feel uncomfortable facing our deficits, we must remember faults and flaws don’t define us. We are also gifted with attributes and aptitudes that are part of the son or daughter God fashioned in His image.

It is important to regard ourselves with compassion and grace, knowing that our Father sees the blood of His risen Son applied to our lives, even when we feel discouraged by our present state or delayed progress. Aligning our vision with His means that we must remind ourselves that we are fully seen, known, and loved, even as our lives evolve and increasingly reflect Christ. As we focus on Jesus, we are continually emerging from one place of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Grace that will equip us to examine ourselves and address debilitating beliefs that lurk beneath the soul’s surface. The Holy Spirit will cause us to notice themes in our lives that He wants us to surrender to Him.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 NIV

God did the same with Joshua, and we read it in the Lord’s frequent encouragement to “be strong and very courageous.” As a leader, he faced personal insecurity and had to forge ahead anyway, commanding the Israelite armies to possess Canaan after Moses died. Similarly, God may not be giving us a “time out,” but rather urging us forward to put our faith to work while we take practical steps to shift insecurity and meet goals.

Whether we are leading a business, a ministry, a family, or ourselves, we will have to confront the parts of ourselves that we would rather avoid. Yet, we can do this through and with Christ, and all without condemnation (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:1). Activating the mirror of God’s Word arms us with the strength to notice both frailties and strengths. Then, we can partner with the Holy Spirit to make relevant changes in the direction of our goals without shame or harsh self-judgments. With Him and a counselor, we can do the necessary internal work that will bear fruit externally.

Next Steps

Consider what you’ve read and note what resonates personally. If you have struggled with holding onto God’s vision for your life, recognize and remember that the Father’s promise for His children to experience success is designed for you. You may need the additional support that a professional counselor provides to resolve insecurity and develop confidence in the identity you have in Christ. Schedule with a professional and commit to a meeting so you can realize your goals, enhance your habits, and be strengthened for success.