Goal-Setting

I am in the middle of EFY right now, and I was impressed at how the counselors taught the youth to set goals. They emphasize how to make goals specific, measurable, relavant, and focused on others. I am excited to reevaluate my goals, but I wanted to start out by recording what I learn about goals in the scriptures.

The Topical Guide is the first place I studied. If you look under "Objectives," you see other categories such as "Eternal Life, Joy, Motivations, Obedience, Service, Treasure, and Wisdom." That teaches me a few things right there. Our main objectives in this life are to receive eternal life and to have joy now and forever. We need to carefully identify our motivations so we do things for the right reasons and so we do the right things. Each day we make choices that shape our characters, and we need to be motivated by what really matters (not just money, fame, etc.).

Our objectives also need to provide a way for us to serve the Lord and His children. True treasures of wisdom and knowledge will come to us as we study, learn, seek to bless our fellow men and women, and act on impressions that come to us from the Lord.

Here are a few snippets from the scriptures listed under Objectives. "Be ye therefore perfect, seek first the kingdom of God, be worthy, know...the only true God, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling, have joy, press forward, be diligent, [be a] humble seeker of happiness, conquer the enemy, seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion, seek to obtain my word, seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give, seek ye earnestly the best gifts, peace, seek me diligently, and ye shall find me, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, gain more knowledge and intelligence."

I LOVE that list! We need to be hard-working, and we need to purify ourselves, live for God, build Zion, study the scriptures, earn our living (but focus on the "riches" that the Lord wants specifically for us), ask for spiritual gifts, come to know the Lord, and increase our knowledge and wisdom as much as possible. This is what I want to think about as I set my goals for the next year.

It's not so important that I look like a fashion model or have a huge mansion with perfect decorations. It doesn't matter if my children are the most accomplished. It only matters that I figure out what the Lord wants for ME, and then that I work hard to accomplish that. He is SO good.