Are you goal-oriented? Motivated by achievements? I am. Absolutely. I’m not sure I’m motivated by anything else. I often think about my goals, tallying up whether I have accomplished them—even the meaningless goals. For example, I have written 475 book reviews (reviews, not ratings) on Goodreads[dot]com. My goal is to write 1,000. I have a LONG way to go.
Small goals are not that distracting. But when you are about to achieve a big goal—when you can finally see it, hear it, taste it—after a lifetime of dreaming and trying, the goal can dazzle you. Imagine a football player running 99 yards for his first NFL touchdown—and as he gets closer and closer to the end zone everything begins to blink and flash and blur and swirl and he finds himself dizzy and off-balance.
Our biggest goals can become DAZZLING IDOLS—just as we finally achieve them.
And if our friend carrying the football lets the goal line dazzle him, he will stumble. You have to “keep your eye on the prize.” But if you stare into the prize like a solar eclipse, it can blind you.
So how do you reach a huge goal when the goal itself can cause you to lose focus?
You keep your eyes on the work, only glancing at the goal from time to time. Focus on your work and leave the results up to God.
NEVER LET YOUR GOAL BECOME YOUR IDOL.
“There is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink, and tell himself that his labor is good” Ecclesiastes 2:24.
Enjoy your WORK. Don’t obsess over the goal. Small goals may not be distracting—writing book reviews or having a nice lawn or buying your dream car. But if you are approaching one of life’s major milestones, be prepared to be thrown off balance just as you are about to reach your goal.
Focus on the process—enjoy the work and leave the goal in God’s hands.
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