Are your aspirations drowning in a sea of too many activities, interests and responsibilities? If your unfulfilled goals and neglected dreams could talk, would they be sending out an S.O.S.? Last week we discussed the steps necessary to rescue your shipwrecked dreams. The initial step (the first letter in S.O.S.) is to simplify the key areas of your life: your schedule, finances, hobbies and interests, as well as your relationships and your focus. Too much “stuff,” too many “friends,” too many interests, too many directions — can leave you confused and dazed, with no time or energy for your goals.
Step 2: “O” is for Organize! Everything. Your home, kitchen, office, desk, or creative space. Clutter impedes creativity and the ability to think clearly. Organize your finances, your schedule, and your free time. Know what needs to be done — and when — and prioritize your responsibilities.
The last “S” in S.O.S. stands for Strategize!
Face it, it’s not enough simply to set goals. Dreams usually don’t come true all by their lonesome. We have to constantly pursue them or they tend to get away. We have to map out what we want to accomplish in life, and then strategize how we’ll go about doing it. We need a plan of attack — a battle plan, so to speak! Being victorious in life is like being victorious in a war. Great wars are won with smaller victories won in battles. Your goals will be achieved in much the same way, through the small victories and accomplishments that move you closer to winning your bigger dreams.
Achieving any truly great dream is much like waging a war: to overcome the obstacles imposed by time, resources, circumstances, and even people who don’t want to see you succeed (for various reasons). Are you strategizing to win the small battles you encounter each day? Every day you should map out what you need to accomplish and what it will take to do it. Create a schedule. Maintain a list of “Things to do.” Prioritize your list. Work to achieve something worthwhile every day. Even little steps, when carefully planned each day, can take you far along the path to success.
Do you need special training to accomplish your goals? Do you need capital? Do you need a staff? Figure out what your requirements are and how you’ll go about meeting them. Strategize your short term goals, and decide how each piece fits into the bigger picture. Stay focused and use your time wisely. Stay on the right track and keep moving forward.
In other words, stop flying by the seat of your pants; you gotta have a plan! Even God had a plan — a loooong-term plan, with many intricate and interlocking elements and events:
“…God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1: 9 NLT)
If you want to find the time, energy and resources necessary to pursue your goals and rescue your dreams, then you probably need to take three important steps. The first step is to simplify key areas of your life: your schedule, finances, hobbies and interests, as well as your relationships and your focus. Too much “stuff,” too many “friends,” too many interests, too many directions — can leave you confused and dazed, with no time or energy for your dreams. So, the first letter in S.O.S. stands for simplify.
last thing you want is to waste time. And if you suddenly find yourself waiting, seemingly with nothing to do, you can pull out your “Things To Do” list. Chances are you have calls to make, a bill you can pay on your phone, etc. — or you can spend the time updating your list!