Every December I spend time planning and praying about the year ahead. What should it look like? What goals or projects should I run towards? What would I like to accomplish in one year?
My Type A personality comes out and with those written goals and destinations written down on paper, I can’t wait for January 1st to arrive. It’s as if I’m at a track and field event, on the starting blocks, and just waiting for someone to pull the trigger so I can dart off as fast as I can towards the end of the year. Slaying it all in the dash.
But if you are not a 100 yard dash person, jumping out of the blocks that fast can be detrimental.
OK, I’m not sure I would endure at any race. I really don’t care for running. But in the run to accomplish your goals running as if you are running a marathon is best.
The slow one running towards the goal finishes.
I recently read a post from a friend of mine, Anna. You can find her here. The title of Anna’s post was, “Get Ready. Get Set. Go slow!” The title got me because when I’m ready to run after a project, I want to do it. Accomplish it as fast as I can and scratch it off my list. More like…On Your Mark. Get set. GOOOOOO!
Her article was geared towards weight loss and so encouraging. How many of us have set out to lose some pounds January 1st and before we know it we’ve hit some obstacles or cheated and we just give up? Or how many of us have said we were going to deepen our relationship with Jesus by being in the Word daily? Then by February we get distracted one day, then two, then a month and throw up our arms in defeat.
In those two examples and for many goals we set, going slow is the more appropriate way to finish strong.
If you set goals for the year, know that there are going to be hurdles in your race — even if you didn’t sign up for the hurdles! Ugggg, I know. But challenges will come. Life will happen. Good days and bad days will throw us off course and out of our lane. And if we’re running a dash, it will seem impossible to catch up and finish.
But there’s a benefit to going slow and running a marathon, a 365-day marathon toward your desires. You’ll find you have plenty of time to course correct and finish strong. It’s not about winning the race, it’s about finishing.
What are you moving toward this year?
One of the things I’m walking slowly toward this year is getting fit. I’m not setting any outrageous weight goals, but rather daily goals to help keep me on this path to fitness.
Do you know why you set your goal?
Was there a passion in your soul or did you just feel like you needed to do it? Or was it more like everyone says I should lose weight and spend more time in the Word, so I guess I better.
Knowing why you chose this goal is important to your success. The why is what sustains you. It’s what makes you get back up once you’ve fallen or fell out and continue on with the quest.
My why — hubby and I just booked a week long rafting trip through the Grand Canyon for next year. We’ve rafted before through the Royal Gorge, but not in 15-20 foot white water waves. We’ve even camped before, but not seven days straight at the bottom of a canyon. So there’s a big reason, a why, to fuel my race. I want to be fit to enjoy this amazing adventure.
What I’ve learned is, I don’t like to race. The race itself does not fuel me nor does being the winner. I could careless. But if there’s a big reason at the finish, a big why, then I’ll run slowly towards that goal until it’s reached. The why helps me finish.
What’s your why?
Know the reason so you don’t give up when the days are hard. Zechariah 4:10 puts it this way, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” And I would add, I think He delights to see us begin again and again, and again, and again…..
So are you ready to run slow toward your why?
If so, get ready, get set. Let’s go slow!