As soccer moms, we are both quite familiar with goals. We’ve witnessed beautiful ones – and ones that just get a number on a scoreboard. Either way, the crowd cheers! Making goals is always worth celebrating – no matter how small the margin.
Heading into the new year, most of us are thinking of goals we’d like to “score” in our personal lives and families. But our prayerful and pure-motivated goals can quickly begin to seem overwhelming, and we lose steam.
What if we looked at our goals a little differently?
Sometimes redefining what we’re shooting for gives us renewed energy and motivation. Below are three types of practical, doable goals we can shoot for in 2014.
The Precise Goals
These take practice and planning. For a soccer player, they are called “the upper right or left 90” (referring to the angles of the goal). These are not achieved by accident.
For a mom, this is a specific goal that must be consciously planned for and practiced. Saving 10% on groceries for any given month would be an example. We can make a plan for that and follow it.
The “All My Energy In One Shot” Goals
These are goals that we meet when we suddenly gain a new insight that sparks renewed determination. These put pure bravery on display.
Melinda shares: For years, I had struggled with how to get my son to school on time. Falling short again and again resulted in a tremendous amount of guilt. Then, one morning, my son said to me, “Gosh, Mom, I wish I had time to eat a nice breakfast every morning without rushing.”
There it was, the perfectly placed pass directly in front of my dominant foot with exactly enough room to shoot an uncatchable bullet. BOOM! Right then and there, I realized that I needed to make a dramatic change in what we did in the morning. We made getting a delicious breakfast the goal. When I began making sure a tasty breakfast was on the table when he got up, it gave my son the motivation to get up and moving earlier. We haven’t been late to school since!
Now, that’s an unstoppable mom bullet—clear, simple and powerful.
The “Soft, Tapped In Effortlessly” Goals
The USA Team qualified for the 2014 World Cup thanks to one of these by Landon Donovan. These require the right place, the right time and a willingness to be ready for any small opportunity.
For moms, this is using those five-minute pockets of time that show up here and there to get something bigger done. Heck, we can even use that soccer practice time to pay bills, catch up on reading or chase a playful toddler. Kathy: That was always my favorite fall back.
Our goals are always easier to set and achieve when we have clear parameters for success. Take time to prayerfully ask God what goals He wants you to shoot for in 2014.
What has been your latest “upper 90”?
Where have you used “all your energy with one great shot” lately?
How has a “soft, tapped-in effortlessly shot” made you feel accomplished?
