Setting and pursuing goals

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

 

IF we want our life to be exciting, full of suspense, and yet sure of where it is going and how it is going to end, we should develop the habit of setting goals and pursuing them as actively as possible.

That way, we would never have a dull moment in life. And if handled properly, such habit would protect us from any fear or doubt. We would always feel confident even if we have to go through the unavoidable difficulties, mistakes, failures, etc.

We should not allow ourselves to be floating and drifting aimlessly in life, since even in our worst condition, we would always have an objective purpose in life that can never disappear in our life.

And that is that whatever situation we may be in, we should always be focused on God, relating everything—the good and the bad, the big and the small, the ordinary and the extraordinary—to him.

Obviously this ultimate and constant purpose of our life should be broken into the more immediate goals, or what we may call the short-term and long-term goals, that should be subordinated and inspired by the ultimate goal.

That way, we will always have the confidence that we are on track and that we are making some progress. That confidence alone is enough source of joy and sense of fulfillment and of being rewarded for all the effort, sacrifices, pain, etc. that would be involved in the pursuit of our goals.

Yes, we would always feel that everything then would be all worthwhile. We would most likely make St. Paul’s words also our own: “I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (1 Cor 9,26) We would be fighting to reach the finish line.

Everyday then, we should make some plan where we would be clear about the daily goal to reach. We need to bring this business to our prayer so that we can see things more clearly under the light of God’s presence and will, and minimize the possibility of being tricked by our tendency to fall into pure self-indulgence.

Let’s remember that God is always intervening in our lives and we should be most perceptive and prompt in knowing what he wants us to pursue in any particular day. It could be some improvement or growth in our life of prayer, or sacrifice, or some virtues, or in the apostolate. Whatever it is, we should be clear about the goal to reach for that day and start to set the appropriate things in motion.

And all throughout the day, we should pause from time to time to check if we are still on track, if there are things to correct or needed, etc. That way, we somehow would be less prone to get diverted by some distractions. Hopefully we can exude the welcoming air of a man on the go, a man with a clear sense of purpose, which would also inspire others.

As said earlier, this business of setting and pursuing goals would make our life meaningful, filling us with a sense of joy and confidence. And in today’s world where we see a lot of people idle or just coasting along, by developing this habit of setting and pursuing goals, we would be giving good example and spreading inspiration around!

 

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com