 Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash As we enter a new year many of our minds move toward what new experiences are in store for us. What will we celebrate? What will we achieve? A blank page is looking up at us and waiting to be filled. The best way to take control of what is written on that page is by setting goals. Let's talk about how we do that and I’ll use one of my goals for 2025 as an example. As we begin 2025, one of my main goals is to read my Bible. If you are a person of faith, then you will understand the importance of regularly engaging with a sacred text (for me, that’s the Bible). However, simply saying that I want to read the Bible more is a great idea but it isn’t a goal. The best way to ensure my highest chance of success in achieving my idea of reading the Bible more is to use it to create a SMART goal. Way back in the late twenty teens, I was in graduate school earning my Masters in Social Work. I was being inundated by all manner of social work information. We were talking about social policy, cultural competence, research, therapy, and much more. Nestled within all of that was a concept that was new to me at the time: SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This acronym will walk us through setting goals that we can achieve with confidence, not goals that we will forget we made and then give up on by the second Friday in January. SpecificIf we want our goals to last until at least the END of January, they need to be specific. We must clearly define the goal. “I want to read my Bible more” is a great aspiration but it is a little too vague. “I want to read the entire Bible” makes it specific enough to move forward. We have clearly defined what I want to do. MeasurableThe goal must also be measurable. If I want to read my Bible more, how will I know that I have made progress or achieved that? I need to be able to measure it. For me, that means finding a Bible reading plan that will break the Bible up into small portions I can read each day. We can now reword our goal to say, “I will read the entire Bible by using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Daily Reading Plan.” This will allow me to measure how much I have been reading and to see how much progress I am making toward reading the entire Bible. AchievableMy specific and measurable goal is awesome but it will only be a good goal if it is achievable. Is it a goal that I can actually accomplish? For example, if I want to read the entire Bible but I don’t know how to read, then it isn’t achievable. Or if I want to read the entire Bible but don’t have access to a Bible, then it isn’t achievable. If you find that your goal isn’t achievable, this step is a place to consider what you need to make it achievable or to choose a different, achievable goal. My current Bible reading goal is achievable for me. I know how to read and I own PLENTY of Bibles. RelevantUltimately, we set goals that will move us closer to the lives we want to live. If this is to be the case, then our goals must be relevant to us. If you are not a Christian, then reading the entire Bible is likely not a relevant goal for you. Just like reading the entire Koran is not a relevant goal for me as I am not a Muslim. So as you are working to set goals, make sure that you take time to identify the goals relevance to your life and where you want to go. For me, reading the Bible is highly relevant for my personal faith and for my work as a pastor. Time-BoundFinally, what is your timeline for the goal? Goals without timelines are goals that often go unachieved. Deadlines and timelines create motivation for change and growth. Currently my goal is that I will read the entire Bible using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Daily reading plan.” It is specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. But when will I achieve this goal? If I were to make it time bound I would rephrase it to say, “I will read the entire Bible in one year using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Daily Reading Plan.” Now I have given myself an end date. This goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timebound and as a result, the likelihood that I will be able to complete it is much higher.
I am excited to see what 2025 brings for my family and me. There will be great joys and great sorrows, I’m sure. And there will be my own pursuit of at least one SMART goal. I’d love to hear what your hopes and goals are for this year! Comment and let me know what you’re looking to achieve in 2025! If you enjoyed this post, make sure to join our email list to never miss another post!
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