Mission, Vision & Goals
Proverbs 21:5 : "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
Practical steps for achieving and maintaining growth {DRAFTED}
{D] Dream Again
Every innovation, scientific discovery, design, and everything else that was created started with a dream. I am certain you had many dreams as you grew up, unburdened by the limitations surrounding you, such as the financial status of your parents and the daily distractions you faced. You may have had great dreams at the beginning of last year, but as you look back now, you may find that you are no longer as excited about them as you once were, or perhaps you have completely abandoned them. Dream again.
Many people have fallen so deeply into the trap of routine that they fail to see the opportunities and possibilities that God has for them. They don’t realize how He has equipped them with unique talents and gifts to accomplish great things for His Kingdom, their families, their communities, and themselves. Dream again!
What are some of those dreams you once had that now seem impossible? You may be looking at your finances, your family situation, your personal strength, and other limitations, telling yourself there is no way you can overcome all of these obstacles to achieve those dreams that once kept you up at night, exciting you for a season. Dream again.
It is time to dream again, and we want to help walk with you on this journey. Week four will offer you the opportunity not only to dream but also to turn those dreams into reality by taking diligent, intentional action, by the grace of God, toward accomplishing those visions.
All destiny begins with the mind – with the things you think.
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)
"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."
Write down a list of dreams you once had but have since forgotten, ignored, or relegated to the "lost hope" file in the back of your mind.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
{R] Ready
Dreaming is the first step, but are you ready to make the changes necessary to transform your current status? There is a reason why you no longer dream or feel passionate about the dreams you once had. So ask yourself these questions:
Why did things not work out before?
What should I stop doing?
What new skills do I need?
What friendships do I need to let go of?
What thoughts do I need to deal with? (Sow a thought, reap an action...)
What habits do I need to change?
Which new habits do I need to develop?
The thoughts you think can either be your friends or your enemies, so ask yourself: What are the thoughts that I think, and why do I entertain them? Scriptures remind us:
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)
Sow a thought – reap an action. Sow an action – reap a habit. Sow a habit – reap a character. Sow a character – reap a destiny.
If you think negatively, you will act negatively, and that will create negative outcomes. We get thoughts through what we read, what we watch, what or whom we listen to, and who our friends are. The reason you may have abandoned your passion could be because of the influence of those around you—whether it's the person you’re listening to, the books you’re reading, or the entertainment (movies, social media, etc.) you’re consuming. Unlock your readiness by making the right choices.
Write down below the changes you will make in terms of what you read, what you watch, what or whom you listen to, and who your friends are.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now write a list of the new sources you will focus on to influence your thoughts hence actions, habits, character and ultimately your destiny.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When you change your thoughts, your actions and habits are equally impacted. Good habits will help you unlock your destiny or in other words your life’s purpose. What is your life’s purpose? Do you know why you are here or has this been drowned by the din of activism, routine and distraction? How do you get to your destination when you do not know the direction? You can’t be aimless and hope to achieve significance. Take aim!
{A] Aim
Let’s carry out a simple exercise. Make a list of 30 things you want to achieve in the next 2 years by God’s grace. Imagine that neither finances nor other resources are a limitation.
Done? How does your list look like? Hold that for a moment and consider this.
How time flies! I am certain you have heard this before. Time generally seems to fly when we are busy, but when we are not, time seems to be at a standstill. Why do we feel that way? Living without purpose creates a false impression that you have a lot of time. In the last 3 weeks, we saw that everyone is a leader because they are all created in God's image. We equally considered how limitations on our life negatively impact our efficiency as individuals. Last week, we looked at what makes for true leadership i.e. influence. Emotional Intelligence is not some kind of tool we use to manipulate people into doing what they do not want to do.
Nothing either good or great comes easy. Improving your leadership requires commitment, intentionality, diligence and a lot of time beyond a few classes, weekend seminars and/or listening to or watching motivational speeches. Such approaches to building leadership are good for building temporal and shallow personal ethics. Servant leaders cooperate with God to achieve changes that are more permanent, in their character, to conform to the character of Jesus.
A servant leader is constantly thinking about their end and this should propel them into taking action, now!
The journey of a mile starts with a step ~ Lao Tzu
“Go to the ant…consider its ways and be wise…” ~ King Solomon
Leadership is about deliberately walking on the path of growth. It is a trip rather than a destination. Like other life skills, you need to continue aiming on the path of developing your leadership competence, daily. If you do not pay the price, you will miss the goal.
Jesus, our greatest leadership model, talks about carrying your cross, DAILY.
Are you willing to pay the price to walk in your values, develop your leadership ability, uproot the lids and empower the people in your sphere of influence? The small steps you take (or do not take) daily, will determine your true destination.
These small steps (goals), are better enhanced and executed when linked to the leader’s visions. The visions you have for different aspects of your life, should be linked to your life mission. Let us look at the different definitions in the context of this particular session.
Mission (Purpose)
Your mission defines the reason why God created you. Prayer and the following questions can help you determine your mission;
1. Why am I here?
2. What are my values?
3. What am I passionate about?
4. What are my talents and natural gifts?
5. What kind of legacy do I desire to leave?
Pray – The most important thing you will have to do to help you identify your purpose (also known as life mission) is to pray. Go to God, who is our Father, in humility and ask Him, “Father why am I here?’ Spend these weeks in prayer. You may also have a friend, leader or relative pray with you. God will answer these types of prayers which seek to know His will. As you receive some ideas in your spirit, write them down. I remember how I was moved by how much food was available in Cameroon and yet a lot of people still went hungry. Then I knew I was called to connect people with resources. Mission in general comes from God. He sent you here on earth, on a mission. What is your Mission? The center of all missions is to make disciples of Jesus. If you still have doubts about this, remember we can all:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20
Inventory your talents and skills – What are some of your natural skills and talents? Are you good at encouraging people, sports, singing, and writing? Write as many as you can identify.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Inventory your values – What are your values? Values are like a personal code of ethics. This can be things like integrity, friendship, hard work, Godliness etc. They are attributes you stand by and cannot compromise. Write as many as you and/or your friends and family members can help you to identify.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Inventory your passions – What are you passionate about? Your passion may be helping old people, taking care of babies, seeing love prevail everywhere, encouraging friendship etc. Whatever it is, there is a reason why you are passionate about that domain. Write a list of your passions.
____________________________________________________________________________________
What kind of legacy would you like to leave? – What would you like to be remembered for when you are no longer alive in this world?
____________________________________________________________________________________
After responding sincerely to the questions above, take a look again at your answers then write what you believe to be your purpose in the box below, using all what you have received from completing this exercise.
Exploring My Purpose:
____________________________________________________________________________________
I believe God created me to:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Date:
Knowing your purpose is awesome but if you end there, you won’t accomplish much. This is the first step towards the right direction as you need to take intentional steps that will help you accomplish that purpose. You must see how to get there (vision) and work with God and the people He brings into your life to craft a plan on how to get there (goals).
Now take a look at the list of 30 things you wrote at the beginning. What did you write? Which categories did the different items fall under? If you do not have items covering almost all the different domains of your life, that means you are likely suffering from imbalance. A lack of balance means you focus on what aspect or some aspects of your life but ignore the others. This explains why you can see a good pastor who is a bad husband. He really does not have a vision for his family. Servant leaders seek balance in their life by striving to have a vision for all the different aspects of their life. If you ignore an aspect of your life, that aspect will suffer. That is why you may see someone who loves God passionately but completely neglects their family. While a leader's life mission in principle should not change (because this is determined by the one who sent you on mission, God), visions can be changed, based on the circumstances of the leader and his/her team. A vision is what you see and this can come from either a burden based on what you experience or from God. To establish balance in your life, you need to have a vision for all aspects of your life. Vision is what you see (the preferable future) and should at minimum cover the following domains : Relationship with God (Spiritual), Physical, Family, Financial, Professional, Ministry, Educational, Marriage (Spouse) and Social.
While mission defines the purpose (the why) for your existence, what you see is what will help you get there. God gives us visions (an insight into how things are supposed to be) through His word and the Holy Spirit. A person with good vision (sight) can tell where they are going and walk that path confidently. In the same way, a young man/woman who has clarity of vision concerning the different aspects of their life, can tell where they are going to and will not be distracted by the things that society, social media, the internet in general and friends throw at them. They can see clearly based on what God’s word says and through the help of the Holy Spirit. Such a person may see the need to plan for financial independence by studying hard and to develop greater spiritual intimacy with God through practicing the spiritual disciplines of prayer, bible study, fasting and obedience. What are your visions for the domains listed below?
Relationship with God (Spiritual), Physical, Family, Financial, Professional, Ministry, Educational, Marriage (Spouse) and Social.
It is either:
“No vision, no direction and therefore no destination” or
“Know vision, know direction and hence know destination”. ~ I. Forteh
{F] Fire
Fire is all about taking action. How can you take action when you do not know “your why” (Life Mission)? How can you take action when you have no motivation (vision)?
While vision defines what you see by the grace of God in general, goals are those specific, diligent and intentional steps you take in time with the help of the people that God has brought in your life to help you get the results. Goals can be set to be accomplished during:
A long period of time (2 years and above) e.g., Build a hospital in the next 7 years for children.
A not very long period of time (6 months to 2 years) e.g., start raising rabbits for commercial purposes with a turnover of at least 100 rabbits by the end of the year.
A short period of time (under 6 months). Read through my bible within the next three months and write a summary of all the changes God is asking me to make through His word.
As you may have noticed, while visions were general in manner, goals are very specific in nature and include a time factor. This makes them both memorable and measurable meaning they can be evaluated. If you cannot evaluate it, you probably did not make it. Our daily routines which are built into the habits we develop, indicate the direction we are taking and which kind of foundation we are building. Again, everything starts with the thoughts we have sown.
While vision provides a general picture of what needs to be accomplished, goals describe the possible specific steps that need to be taken to get there by the grace of God. Goals can be long term ( 2 years and above), short term ( 0 - 6 months) or medium term (6 months - 2 years) but they must be specific, measurable, actionable, relevant (to the vision) and Time bound (SMART).Making goals, SMART makes them measurable i.e. they can be evaluated. If you cannot evaluate it, you probably did not make it. When you set a goal ensure you are responding to the following questions:
What is going to be done (specific quantity)?
Who is involved?
When is it going to be done?
How is it going to be done?
Our daily routines and habits we have developed over time, through the things we have allowed through our minds, indicate the direction we are taking and ultimately our destination. Do you kill or redeem time? Do you have too much time in your hands? Servant Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment, hence they set relevant goals. Yes, you may be busy, but how is this helping you achieve your life mission? Goals give direction in life, promote enthusiasm and make you results oriented.
Act today. Fire now! What are some things that can hinder you from achieving your goals?
1. Laziness
2. Procrastination
3. Not attached to a vision
4. Too many goals
Here is some encouragement:
Those that wait on the Lord will…(Isaiah 40:31)
1) Soar on wings like eagles:
a) Prioritize your quiet time with God as a means of building intimacy with Him.
b) Deal deliberately with the sin problem. Sin creates noise through condemnation and confusion. Confess and restitute where practicable.
c) Obey God. Read it, hear it, do it. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
2) Run and not grow weary
a) Keep your focus on the vision for motivation
b) Be prepared against thirst and tiredness. For tiredness, keep your eye focused on the ultimate price and for thirst, pause, reflect and refresh. Evaluate and make the necessary adjustments in order to finish well.
c) Run with God;
i- Get the Holy Spirit involved in every aspect of your journey.
ii- Seek His opinion rather than just tell Him what you want to do.
d) Run with others. A mentor/accountability partner who is available is a key element to your success.
3) Walk and not faint – Take steps and not give up.
a) Encourage yourself in the Lord and continue trusting Him
b) Set realistic goals
c) Manage your time properly and prioritize
d) Work with an accountability partner
e) Keep your eyes focused on the goal
f) Recalibrate regularly
g) Have a plan for each goal
Daily/Weekly planners will help us develop a plan for each goal. Weekly planning and evaluation will help ensure that we are taking the right steps on a weekly basis that will help position us in the right path to accomplish our goals.
If you do not write down your goals (Habakuk 2:2), you are having a beautiful dream. Sooner or later you will wake up and discover it was just a beautiful dream.
Let’s go ahead and set some daily/weekly goals:
1. Physical Health:
Scripture: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Reflection: Taking care of your body is an act of stewardship. Physical health, through exercise, nutrition, and rest, is honoring the gift God has given you. Proverbs speaks about wisdom that leads to life, and part of that wisdom is caring for the vessel He has entrusted to us.
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your body?
2. Mental Health & Emotional Well-being:
Scripture: "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
Reflection: Emotional well-being is tied to peace of mind. Stress, anxiety, and depression are real struggles, but Proverbs reminds us that peace and emotional health are life-giving. Jesus also invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Mental and emotional health is deeply spiritual and can be nurtured through connection with God and others.
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your mind?
3. Career & Professional Development:
Scripture: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3)
Reflection: Professional growth can be seen as part of God’s plan for you. Whether advancing in your career or pursuing new opportunities, it's essential to involve God in your decisions and seek His wisdom. Jesus teaches that we are to work for Him, not just for earthly rewards (Colossians 3:23).
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your career/personal development?
4. Personal Relationships:
Scripture: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)
Reflection: Building stronger relationships is essential for a flourishing life. In relationships, we reflect God’s love and grow in grace. Jesus emphasized the importance of loving one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). Strengthening family ties and friendships is key to living out the command to love.
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your relationships?
5. Financial Growth:
Scripture: "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)
Reflection: Financial stewardship is about wise management and not being enslaved by debt. Proverbs consistently encourages prudent management of resources, while Jesus teaches us not to store up treasures on earth, but to focus on heavenly treasures (Matthew 6:19-21).
What can you do this week to be a better steward of your finances?
6. Intellectual & Educational Growth:
Scripture: "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." (Proverbs 18:15)
Reflection: Continually expanding our knowledge is important for personal and spiritual growth. God’s wisdom is both practical and profound, and we are called to grow in understanding and to seek knowledge, just as the Proverbs remind us.
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your Educational Growth?
7. Spiritual Growth
Scripture: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)
Reflection: Spiritual growth is the cornerstone of all other growth. Seeking God first and cultivating inner peace through prayer and devotion centers our lives. Jesus encourages us to seek the Kingdom of God above all (Matthew 6:33).
What can you do daily to be a better steward of your Educational Growth?
8. Creativity & Hobbies:
Scripture: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
Reflection: Creativity is a divine gift. Just as God is a Creator, we are made in His image and have the ability to create. Pursuing hobbies and creative endeavors can bring joy and can also be a form of worship, as we reflect the Creator's image through our work.
What can you do this week to be a better steward of your creativity?
9. Social Impact & Giving Back:
Scripture: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done." (Proverbs 19:17)
Reflection: Serving others is a direct reflection of God’s love and compassion. Jesus teaches us that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him (Matthew 25:40). Giving back and contributing to causes that reflect God’s heart helps us live out His mission.
What can you do this week/month to be a better steward in Giving back?
10. Personal Legacy:
Scripture: "The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them." (Proverbs 20:7)
The righteous leave an inheritance for their children -
Reflection: Building a lasting legacy rooted in righteousness is a biblical value. Jesus teaches us that we are to lay up treasures in heaven, with a focus on eternal impact rather than earthly gain (Matthew 6:20). Our purpose aligns with God’s call on our lives to serve Him and others.
What can you do this week/month to start building a legacy?
11. Family
Scripture: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25)
Reflection: A strong marriage is the foundation of a strong family. Setting a goal for the couple to grow together in love, patience, and sacrificial care mirrors the love Christ shows for His church and will help set the tone for the whole family.
What can you do this week to be a better spouse, child or parent?
{T] Time
Time is the principal element in the execution of your growth plan. It is the sole currency we have in equal quantity and the main determinant of our success in accomplishing our goals. Do you have time assigned to your goals?
"Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16)
Managing our time wisely is good stewardship. Time is a precious gift, and Proverbs warns us not to waste it (Proverbs 12:24). Jesus also reminds us that our time should be spent in alignment with God’s will (Luke 9:23). We will consider time management as a separate chapter but it is important you assign the currency of time to all the different goals you set. If you are not specific about the time you plan to spend, you will likely end up using the time for your distractions. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV). Efficient use of time aligns with biblical wisdom in making the most of opportunities granted by God.
{E] Evaluate
Evaluation is the key element that tracks your progress. Pause and evaluate either daily or weekly as this will help inform your next steps. It is normal that emergencies may come up and you end up not doing what you planned to do. If that happens, reset and see how to carry over the goals to the next available time. Evaluation helps you assess progress, identify challenges to accomplishing your goals and adapt, maintain motivation as well as improve on your strategy.
Evaluation will also depend on the type of goals you fixed. Broadly for:
Short-Term Goals: Frequent evaluations may be beneficial, focusing on the big picture and adjusting course as required.
Medium-Term Goals: Medium-term goals may benefit from evaluations at intervals, recognizing the appointed seasons and adjusting strategies accordingly.
Long-Term Goals: Long-term goals may be evaluated less frequently, but regular check-ins are essential to ensure endurance and alignment.
Goal Journals or Planners can help you track your progress. Evaluation will help inform you on the direction you are taking so make all efforts to evaluate your goals. This will become a big factor in motivating your action.
{D] Discipline
Nothing on earth can be accomplished without discipline. Discipline means dealing with distractions and yes distractions abound today. How do you plan to deal with the distractions that you face daily and weekly? Write down a list of possible distractions in your life.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some possible sources of distraction and what to do about them.
Digital Devices: "So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." (Matthew 5:29, NLT) Digital distractions parallel the caution against allowing anything to lead us astray. Setting boundaries aligns with the biblical emphasis on guarding one's heart and mind. Limit your usage of digital devices and choose to spend that time with family and/or friends.
Procrastination: The urgency to avoid procrastination is rooted in the biblical wisdom of recognizing the uncertainties of the future and the need for timely action. Procrastination will steal time from you.
Lack of Planning: "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV) Clear planning, as advised in the Bible, involves committing one's plans to the Lord for establishment, emphasizing the importance of intentional goal-setting.
Environmental Distractions: "Let all things be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40, KJV) Maintaining an organized workspace aligns with the biblical principle of doing things in a fitting and orderly way.
Negative Influences: "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." (Proverbs 13:20, ESV) Choosing positive influences over negative ones resonates with the biblical encouragement to walk with the wise for mutual edification.
Lack of Boundaries: "Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’" (Matthew 5:37, NIV) Learning to say no aligns with the straightforward biblical principle of letting our yes be yes and our no be no.
Unrealistic Goals: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3, NIV) Realistic goal-setting, committed to the Lord, reflects the biblical trust that He will establish our plans.
Lack of Accountability: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:16, ESV) Sharing goals and progress with others aligns with the biblical principle of confession and mutual support.
Be DRAFTED into intentional growth.
Week 4 Assignment
This was amazing.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have learnt
Goals are Specific Measurable Actionable Relevant Timed (SMART)
Wow, well explained, I have learnt importance of knowing why I am created by God(mission) what I have identified about myself i.e what I am good at doing which are my personal values to have a balanced life (vision) and what are the steps that I need to follow in other to achieve (goals) and I understood that my Goals needs to be Specific, Measurable, Actionable,Relevant and Timed(SMART).
ReplyDeleteGreat piece. The roof, the walls and how to get the building going. SMART goals.
ReplyDelete