God has a tendency of giving us assignments that are literally out of this world — just ask Bible heroes like Joseph, Esther, or David. For each of them, the dream they’d been given seemed unattainable on the surface. But just as God made the impossible possible for them, He can and will do the same for you, but you also have to take action in faith. In Part 3 of the God and Goals series, Coach Tam explains how to create an action plan to bring you closer to achieving your goals. Even if you don’t have all the information you think you need right now, you can still step forward in faith and make your dreams a reality with God’s help. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to take action!
In this episode, you’ll also hear:
In Part 1 of the God and Goals series, we talked about the first step for making your goals a reality, which is to Dream Big. This step is a challenge we make to ourselves to invite God into the goal-setting process. It’s all about taking off the limits and reminding ourselves that nothing is impossible with God. When we do that, He often speaks something into our hearts that doesn't make sense in the natural world — so we must have faith that God planted the seed in our hearts for a reason, and refuse to let fear stop us from dreaming.
Then, in Part 2, we talked about the second step, which is to Believe Big. Once we've come to grips with what God wants us to do — whether it’s writing a book, starting a podcast, creating our own online community, or finally launching that coaching program into the world — it's important to believe that we can achieve that goal.
Because here's the deal: God is ultimately the one doing the heavy lifting. It's God who creates the opportunities, and it's God who ultimately determines the outcomes. So really, the only thing you and I are responsible for is having faith in His instructions and being obedient. Our job is to stay in lockstep with him. Of course, that means we’ll have to exercise a lot of patience and a lot of trust in God and in ourselves. But through prayerful guidance and hard work, anything that God calls you to can be accomplished.
Today, we’ll deep dive into the third step — arguably the most important of the three — which is to take action.
The key to taking action is to establish an action plan, something that will keep you honest about your goals and dreams.
You see, dreaming big and believing big gets you nowhere if you don't take action. So it’s time to take those goals and put them into writing. Then you’ll take those big goals and create mini goals that will ultimately help you stay motivated and focused on reaching the bigger goals.
As with any plan, though, it's really important to keep it simple. You want to avoid information overload or feeling overwhelmed! So take your big goal and break it down into mini goals. Of course, there will be some pieces that you don’t know yet, and that’s okay. Just release those things to God and commit to taking consistent action.
Once you’ve identified your mini goals, there are three more steps you need to take:
A timeline lets you know if you’re on track to accomplish your goal, which provides motivation when success is achieved. And it also helps you adjust when you need to.
For example, if your goal is to write a book by the end of the year, you might set a timeline to write one chapter per month or two chapters every other week. Or your timeline might be to set deadlines for when you’ll finish your first draft and send the manuscript to your editor.
So take your big goal and break it down into mini goals, and that set a timeline for when you’ll accomplish each of those smaller steps.
Many times people attempt goals on their own. But we were meant for community! Scripture reminds us that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). So we need to find people who support us and believe in the vision that God has given us, and ask them to support us throughout the process.
When choosing your dream team, you want people who:
Having a dream team is important, because these people can provide the motivation, direction, and insight you need during difficult times. Plus, they can celebrate your successes with you.
Remember, God often works through people. So if you’ve gotten stuck in the past, it could be because you didn't have the right people around you. Very often, you need both prayer and people.
This step is all about establishing a tracking system that takes the guesswork out of the progress you’ve made towards achieving each goal and milestone.
Keeping track of your progress is also helpful because it ties back to course correction. If things aren't working out the way you planned, you can quickly make adjustments before any major damage is done or too much time has passed without you reaching any of your goals or milestones. Tracking your progress ensures that nothing gets overlooked or forgotten along the way.
Reaching goals is not always easy. Life often throws us obstacles, and it can be hard to stay the course. So here’s a powerful secret that will help you keep moving forward towards reaching your God-given goals.
This secret is found in Romans 12, and it's all about renewing your mind. Scripture tells us that we are “transformed by the renewing of [our minds]” (Romans 12:2). But what does that mean?
Renewing the mind is a process of keeping our thoughts in alignment with God's word and what He says about us, and making a conscious effort to turn away from negative thoughts or doubts that seek to take hold of us. It's about learning how to direct and redirect the flow of energy within ourselves. It keeps us focused, motivated, and assured, no matter what happens in our lives.
Renewing the mind allows remarkable things to unfold as we pursue God's plan for us, so we have to make it a priority. We've got to be intentional about thinking about what we're thinking about.
Remember this: God has done it before, and He will do it again. Let's circle back to some of those biblical heroes we discussed earlier in this series, people who acted with faith and resilience in the face of uncertainty. These people can be a source of comfort and courage for us when we're considering taking action and we're looking at all the things we don't know. They demonstrate what it looks like to take action despite not having all the information.
These stories from Scripture remind us that sometimes we must take action before we have all the details figured out. Because we never know what great things God is going to do through our obedience. We may not always have perfect clarity on everything before making important decisions, but we can still step forward in faith and trust that God will guide us along the way. We just have to be obedient.
Just as these Bible figures long ago took Him at his word, we too must take God at His word. So let's take a page from their book today. Let's act boldly, with faith, even when it feels scary or overwhelming. Let's say no to complacency when we don't feel prepared. And let’s remember that when we put our trust in Him, He will never fail.
You have an amazing gift to offer the world, and you can achieve anything that you set out for with God’s help. But achieving success isn't just about having an awesome book, service or program — it's about finding a way to get your message heard by your audience.
Thankfully, with our easy-to-follow techniques, you'll be able to take action and learn valuable principles that will help you attract the right attention and interest. By using the power of attraction both emotionally and ethically, you can create an intense desire in people for what you have to offer while still being true to yourself and who God called you to be.
So don't put it off any longer! Get your copy of the Audience Attraction Formula. Let's make an unforgettable impact on the world together.
BIO:
My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize in helping mission-driven authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs increase their exposure, impact, and income through strategic self-publishing and digital media appearances. Just say yes and we will work together to attract a tribe of loyal followers that 1) "get you", 2) love what you do, and 3) are happy to invest in your book, business, cause, or movement. Plus, we will accomplish all of this without fake, salesy, sleazy, or manipulative tactics. Yes you CAN write, publish, and profit in a way that honors God; join the community today at https://christianauthors.net/fbgroup.
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