Dream, Plan & Pray! – Part 1

By Sandra Bennett –

“I have a firm conviction that I am immortal till my work is done.” – Lottie Moon

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere anyway.” – 
Sandra K. Bennett

fall scents for your home

Goals are dreams with deadlines.” –
Diana Scharf Hunt

 I’ve developed a method and acroynm that I call: PDS – Pretty Darn Smart!

This process has helped me to accomplish the practice of dreaming, planning and praying. Below is the order and description that I hope helps you too as you begin to plan and set your New Year goals:

  • Pray & Plan
  • Dream
  • SMART Goals

PRAYand PLAN

Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you.”

I Peter 5:7

Do you believe God speaks to you? Do you believe He’s concerned about the details of your life? If you do, then God does speak to you and He is concerned; however, if you don’t believe, you’re also correct. Before you pray over your dreams, goals and plans, take time to sit, ponder and think. What do you want to achieve? Keep a notebook (it doesn’t have to be fancy), it can be a daytimer or a school notebook, but be sure to write down your prayers, your dreams and your goals. Don’t worry about order or size, just make a list of everything that comes to heart and mind.

If you’re a practicing Christian, prayer should be a large part of your life. There’s nothing God doesn’t care about when it comes to you, His beloved child. Give your life, your dreams, your goals…all over to Him. Debbie Macomber says, “If you long for balance, lay your dreams, priorities, and goals before the Lord and pray over them. Repeatedly. Be open to revision if you hear that still, small voice.” I would add, “when you hear that still, small voice” because, if you’re listening, you’ll hear His voice.

I make lists for everything…daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. At this point, my lists don’t go much beyond yearly but they could and, eventually, might.

When you’ve finished your list, number your ideas in order of what’s most important to you. Some things on your list might not need to be on your PDS list; for example, cleaning the house, having the car serviced. Those things you do normally; your PDS list is for above and beyond daily living. Some of your goals might not be reasonable. If you’ve always wanted to pilot your own plane but lack the money for both lessons and plane, then, probably for now, “piloting your own plane” needs to be taken off your list.

When writing goals, make sure the “W” questions are answered and use positive, progressive language.

Which goal or goals do you need to achieve? In order of importance, decide which of your goals are most important and don’t confuse your to-do list with your goals list. My to-do list includes mundane necessities such as farm chores, house cleaning, errands, banking, etc. My goals, and list, must fulfill me as a person and a Christian.

Who will help you? Do you have knowledgeable friends, family members, bloggers, e-zines or other help? If friends or family members are negative, don’t even tell them about your goals and dreams. Simply go about your business and let them find out you’re a success after the fact.

What will you do? It’s okay that some of your goals won’t make the final cut. Only keep those that resonate most with your heart.

When will you work on your goals? You need to set aside daily time to devote to realizing your dream. What time of the day are you most productive? I write in the mornings, after devotions and farm chores. Daily, I set aside two hours to work on my book and only after those two hours are finished do I write for publication, business, etc. If necessary set a timer; whatever it takes to make you sit down and WORK. Every couple of hours, take a break to stand up, stretch, walk around to relieve stress on your head and your body.

When do you want to achieve your goal? Set a time table or calendar and, on Monday, decide what you need to do that week to work toward your goal. On Friday, review and see where you’ve exceeded or fallen short. By setting weekly goals and reviewing same, you’ll, in time and, hopefully, on schedule, achieve your dream. Remember the old saying, “you can eat an elephant one bite at a time.” Also, schedule time for monthly and yearly reviews as well.

Where do you want to achieve your goal? Do you work from home or do you need an away from home office atmosphere? What works for one person might be a distraction for another. If you work from home, make an office for yourself. It can be one end of the kitchen table, a closet or an entire room. You have to have a place, an “office”, where you go to work Monday through Friday. Train your family to respect your space and your time.

Why do you want to achieve your goal? Crazy question, eh? It’s totally necessary. What are your reasons for your goals? It’s best if your reasons are your own; when you make goals based upon what someone else wants for you, generally, nothing comes to fruition. You need to decide why you want to achieve your goals. Do you want to help people, see your name in print or build a business? Why might be the most important question of all!

A general goal is, “I want to lose weight” but a specific goal is“I want to lose ten pounds, lower my blood pressure and will walk one mile a day, five days a week with my friend.” The later answers all the W questions and states what you want to achieve – lose ten pounds; your friend will help with accountability, and walking one mile a day for five days will lower my blood pressure.”

When you write goals, list a maximum of five steps you need to do in order to achieve each goal. Your goal needs to be specific; don’t write, “I need to lose weight,” instead, your five steps might say

  1. lose ten pounds this month
  2. walk one mile five times a week
  3. walk with a friend for accountability
  4. increase protein intake
  5. decrease fat and carb intake

Every day, ask yourself, “does what I’m going take me closer or further away from my goal?” Then, adjust accordingly.

Join me for Part 2 later this month on Dreams and Goal Setting.

After more than four decades, Sandra Bennett’s dream of living on a farm came true, and now lives her dream at Thistle Cove Farm. She writes, photographs, and plans her next travel adventure while teaching workshops in Increasing Small Business and Farm Income; Networking and Partnering and Fleece Management. She’s taught at University and in Russia, Armenia, Georgia and at different fiber festivals in the eastern USA.  Dave, her beloved husband, passed away in 2011 so now Sandra is learning financial management. Please visit Thistle Cove Farm , her lifestyle blog: http://thistlecovefarm.blogspot.com/ , and Wife to Widow blog:  http://www.1wifetowidow.blogspot.com/ where she helps you be “proactive, not reactive.”

 

1 thought on “Dream, Plan & Pray! – Part 1”

  1. Sandra – I love that this story helps us all to put things into perspective. Setting goals can be an intimidating task – but you have shown that it can be such a positive force in our lives. I am a list maker – a goal setter — but still its easily overwhelming. I appreciate your insight –

    Vicki

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Dream, Plan & Pray! – Part 1
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