“No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.”

William E. Gladstone

     Why do thoughts of goal setting and resolutions make our nerves stand up? Or arouse vague feelings of fear. Perhaps we remember all too well previous attempts to achieve certain goals. Maybe we blew our diet, experienced business failure, or yelled at the kids too much. Perchance we missed a great opportunity in the stock market. Or fell for the late night infomercial gadget. Possibly we have been unsuccessful in living up to our full potential and we feel the pain of the gap. And, we all have some memory of when our best intentions blew up in our face.

     Like in 1978, when firemen went on strike in England. This strike made possible one of the greatest animal rescues of all time. Emergency firefighting efforts were nobly taken over by the British Army. On January 14, an elderly lady in London called them out to retrieve her cat. They arrived in record time, and with much ingenuity and gentleness, rescued her cat. As they started to drive away, the lady was so grateful; she waved them down and invited the heroes in for a pot of tea. Driving off later with loads of smiles and warm memories of their valiant deed, they ran over the cat and killed it. 

     So what do you and I do with our mixed bag of failures, disappointments, and blunders? Can we drag them in a nearby gutter and negotiate opportunities for new beginnings. And what’s more, where do we find time for goals beyond laundry, work schedules, and driving Miss Teenager?! Dare we laugh at ourselves a bit and become amazed at what pageantry God might have in store.

     Before we boot dreams and goals to the curb…let’s remember each of us already possesses the capacity, wisdom, and ability to live a life in alignment with the greatest purposes God has designed us for. Five Goal Blockers, however, trip up even the most sincere ones.

Using the acronym G.O.A.L.S, let’s wipe our slate clean of:

THE TOP FIVE GOAL BLOCKERS…                       

•          GUILT… We flag down guilt like there’s a reward

           for it.  Confess and shave off the stubble of

           yesterday’s guilt. Guilt and its cousin Remorse,

           like a ball and chain, drag us down, stalling our

           best intentions for new starts. Should have’s,

           could have’s, might have’s…Waste of time! GOT

           GUILT? 

“Guilt is as useless as a shower curtain made out of toilet paper.” 
Pam Young, founder of Sidetracked Home Executives

 Turn the tide and invest a few moments savoring your growth
 over the past month, six months, year!

•          OTHERS…Who we are a year from today will be

           vastly influenced by the people we surround

           ourselves with. Think of the friends and

           acquaintances in your circle.

           Should these continue? 

•          ALWAYS… Yearning for the good ‘ole’ days?

When we’re forever trampling in the past, the gifts of the present are hidden. Youth, jobs, dreams, relationships, the city we live in, having the kids at home—each may have their season. Nostalgia, however at some point, must bend its knee.  “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

•          LOSSES… When we’re gasping for newness of

           life, it’s hard to imagine, much less chart a better

           tomorrow. Heavyweight champion—grill master—

           and now pastor— George Forman, after his first                         

           marriage broke up found the pain of his wife’s

           leaving overwhelming. He finally made a deal with

           God. If God would take away the pain, he would

           tell people they can make it through anything. The

           next day he woke up and felt new strength inside.

           He still hurt. But he made it. And George kept his

           promise. He’s still telling others, they too… will

           make it. Thanks George!

•          SAY NAY…  “People with horse sense know when

           to say nay.” To whom or what did you say “Yes”

           to, when you should have said “Nay”?   Perhaps

           at best, we can say “Nay” to life’s “Little Extras”.

           Extra debt, jobs, habits, hobbies, or pounds that

           don’t suit us.

What “little extras” can you say “Nay” to? A little extra this, 
a little extra that, and the best we can hope for is our goals 
grinning at us from a distant corner. 

Which of the top five goal blockers are you contending with?

     Like it or not, you and I are developing Black Belts in Life Management. In dealing with the top five Goal Blockers, the best we can do is make friends with our past and cherish the joy that is before us.  We can view past failures and losses as the conclusion of a chapter, not the end of possibilities for the future.

     So, raise the lid on your trash barrel every day Deal with those exasperating goal blockers. They are masters at undermining our confidence and resolve to begin again. The Old Testament prophet Joel must have had some run-ins with these guys. His advice:

“Let the weak SAY, I AM STRONG.”

Joel 3:10 (emphasis mine)

     Friends, we do sweat the big stuff, but those madcap little guys, those Goal Blockers that plague us year after year…We’ve now got something to say about it!

Just don’t run over the cat!

Your friend,

Libba

Libba Narron Lewey ©2010 All rights reserved worldwide

“Who do I have to become to achieve these goals? 
The answer to that question excites me more than the goals!”

TC Cummings

1-  DVD Devotions:

A dear friend of ours is a chaplain. As she fixes her morning coffee, she pops in a DVD where a narrator reads through scripture. In the time it takes her to enjoy her coffee, she listens to one or two chapters a day. The DVD/CD she uses is available through Christian Book Distributors  Here is a direct link:
 

2- Fitness and Faith:

No time for gym workouts?  Walk two miles with personal trainer Leslie Sansome in this high-energy, high-calorie burn in-home workout! Walk to inspirational music. Available through Christian Book Distributors.
 Visit here:

3- Journal… Give journaling a TRIAL RUN with Libba’s 2-page PDF download. Custom designed from her 21+years of journaling, it helps you get to the heart and purpose of your life. It’s fun. It’s great for those of us intimidated by those blank books. Need a Mentor? A Journal can be one of the best. 

Visit our Dollar Download Center here 

If you missed Libba’s article: 
JUMPSTART YOUR LIFE, The Top 21 Benefits of Journaling 
(Also available at Dollar Download Center) here

 
***If you prefer not to order over the internet:
Print off a downloadable order form here

4- Read… E-Books:
 Turning Point…Is God Pro-Exhaustion  is Libba’s own intimate journey into a new life of balance, beauty, order, and joy in life and home. Delivered in inimitable style—making us laugh, cry, and pause to reflect on our own daily “To-Do Lists” Are they God’s best for us? A great read when you’re yearning for new beginnings!

E-Book Orders $8.95  Click here: 

(PDF direct download to your computer)

***If you prefer not to order over the internet:

Print off a downloadable order form here