June 13, 2021- Making Goals

How often do you make goals for yourself? When I meet with people, I often find that they only make goals during the Lenten season, if at all. During Lent, we are often encouraged to take on new tasks to become holier such as praying a Rosary, sacrificing, and pursuing personal growth. However, making these goals should be a lifelong task and take place year-round.

Without goals, it is easy to become caught in a day-to-day routine where we are not striving for holiness. When we make goals for ourselves, we are more likely to remain focused and driven. For this reason, I think it is good to have short-term goals and long-term goals. Our ultimate long-term goal should be to reach Heaven.

Short-term goals could include things like attending daily Mass once or twice a week, saying a few Rosaries during the week, exercising regularly, or beginning prayer together as a family. Long-term goals could be things such as saving a certain amount of money, improving GPA, or obtaining a desired job.

Goals work best when they are specific. Making the goal, “I want to be holy,” is vague and not very specific. A better goal might be to consistently pray a Rosary twice a week in the next three months or pray together as a family every Wednesday night over the next year. A good way to keep track of goals is to write them down in a journal and keep tabs on the progress made towards achieving them. Goals can always be adjusted later if we find them to be too difficult or easy, or if we need to adjust the time frame.

Ultimately, making goals helps us to reflect on what is most important to us and to remain focused on bettering ourselves. If you do not have goals, consider praying about what is important to you, what you hope to accomplish, and how you can make your goals a reality.