So yesterday, we talked about setting meaningful

goals. How to set and achieve meaningful goals. Today, I wanna go a little

deeper on what it is that makes a goal meaningful.

Like, how can you set meaningful goals if you don't even know what it

means to have meaningful goals? That's

you can't do it if you don't know. So a meaningful goal

is something that aligns with your personal values and

beliefs. It contributes to a larger purpose

or mission and it brings you a sense of

fulfillment and satisfaction. So as

Christian entrepreneurs, our personal values and beliefs, while they

vary a little bit, they will align with God's word.

In Proverbs 16:3, I believe it is, says commit to the Lord

whatever you do and he will establish your plans.

Some people use that to me to think that, oh, well,

I don't have to plan anything. I don't have to set goals because God will

establish my plans. But you have to have plans in

order for them to be established. Right? So God

allows us to create a plan within the parameters

that he's given us. Our, we

have to take into account our, like I said, values and beliefs, something

that contributes to a larger purpose or mission, and brings us a sense of

fulfillment and satisfaction. That sense of fulfillment and

satisfaction only comes into play when it's things that

are within our areas of interest, our

skills, talents, gifts, abilities, our personality. It's

things that align with those things. They have to

align with who God created

us to be. Here's a few characteristics of meaningful

goals. They have to be aligned with your Christian values and need

to reflect your faith and your principles and they have to help

others in a way that honors God. Everything has to point

back to him. The goal should be specific and

clear. It needs to be well defined and easily understood. If

somebody asks what your goal is and within 1 or 2 sentences

you can't tell them in a way that they understand it,

then it's not specific or clear enough. Okay.

So instead of helping more people k. But what does that mean? It might

be volunteer for 10 months down at the

local whatever volunteer club or something for 10

hours a month, I should say, not for 10 months. You could do that too.

I have friends who have gone overseas for years years years years.

That's you can volunteer for as long as you want. That's not where we're

going. We're going with it needs to be specific and

clear. Goals need to be challenging but

yet achievable. So if I'm working out

and I set a goal to be, you know, I need to push as

much weight as I can. Okay. Well, what does that mean? Like,

I can't set a goal to to lift a 100 pounds

because that's not challenging. It's very achievable. If I

wanna maximize my strength and utilize

everything I've been created with and given and to even build that up

further, I need to push myself to the edge of my

limit. I need to push myself. If I can just bench

press like a £170, I need to do that once or

twice, then drop back down for some more reps. And then the

next day, come back. Push a £170. You know, maybe I can go

175. Maybe I'm a work on my way up to 200

to 275 to 300. You know, you gotta push yourself

and get go a little farther, a little just

push yourself to the edge of your boundaries and your abilities.

That's how you grow, and that's how goals should be. They also need to

be realistic. I can't set a a goal.

I couldn't I can set a goal to be able to bench press £220,

but I can't set that goal to be done by next

week. It has to be far enough in advance that I can actually

achieve it. It's achievable, but I have to give myself a timeline

within which to achieve it. Goals also need to be

purpose driven. They need to contribute to your overall

mission and purpose in life. Again, your

purpose is simply using everything God created

you to make a difference in the lives of other people. That's your interest,

skills, talents, gifts, abilities, personality. All of those

things. Using that to make a difference in the lives of other people.

Now, your mission is gonna be a little different than that.

You can select different missions based

on those same parameters. 2 people might have the

same interests. They might have the same gifts. They might have the same

abilities. They might have the same skills. They might

have the same everything, but they can choose different

missions to complete or maybe even the

same mission but going about it in different ways. 1 person,

they both might wanna help entrepreneurs. 1 person might

go visit people in person at their location

and the other person might create content on TikTok to help them.

So, 2 different, ways to complete the same

mission. Next, goals need to be

time bound. Okay, they need to have a deadline,

not I want to do this someday. It's I want to do this. I will

do this by this. So, completing this

project within 6 months or, you know, being able to bench press 20,

£220 within 3 months. Whatever that

is for you has to be time bound. Now, how to

know if the goal is meaningful? We can't always

know. We can't always know that for

sure. If is this goal meaningful? Is it going to make a real meaning and

lasting difference? That's where prayer comes

into play. You have to spend time talking with

God. Jeremiah 2911 11 says, for I know the

plans I have for you declares the Lord. He knows what

we're capable of and if we collaborate

with Him, if we talk with Him, He'll lead us down

the right path. Down the path that fully

uses what we've been given to reach the most people

possible. That's the only way.

You have to assess your values and passions. Figure out what it is that you

love to do. Think about your interests, your

strengths, the needs that you see in the world and that you

feel called to address. Figure out what

those are and that's going to give you some more insight into what

those meaningful goals are for you. And then you also need to

seek counsel. Talk to your trusted friends, your mentors, family

members. Get their insights. Figure ask them to help you

figure out what's the best place for

you to fit in and to make, the biggest difference in

the world. Again, Proverbs, I think it's 1522

says, plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisors they succeed. So seek advice. Seek

wisdom from others. Talk to people. Talk to God, most

of all. But do all of these

things and you will soon be learning

you'll soon know how to set meaningful goals

and what it is that makes a goal meaningful.

And at that point, you'll feel more purposeful with your

life. You'll feel like life has a purpose and that's a

good feeling to have. Hey, I wanna invite you guys again.

Join Next Level Personal Development for Christian Men

on Facebook. It's a group. It's a small group at this point. I wanna grow

it. I want you guys in it. Go join it. Click

the link down in the show notes. Keep setting those

meaningful goals, building a business and a

life that reflects Christ to the world around

you and makes a lasting difference. Do good

work.