I gave this talk at church Sunday January 1st. It has references to scripture and lds.org.
A couple of
months ago I was reviewing my goals from 2016.
I realized that I had not set specific spiritual goals so I started
thinking about goals for the new year. As
I looked back at my 2016 goals, I noticed that I didn’t have any specific
spiritual goals set on my goal page but I did have goals or “to do’s that were
spiritual in my daily bullet journal.
Unfortunately, one thing I noticed is that many days, those spiritual
goals were not crossed off. But, many of
my personal, and business goals were.
The physical goals were also not checked off.
My 2017
goals are only spiritual goals because I felt that if I can achieve those, that
momentum would carry over. I realized
that just having spiritual goals was only part of achieving goals
“The
Word is Commitment” made me realize how important commitment was in all aspects
of goal setting. Marvin Ashton says “Commitment
as a word cannot stand alone. We must always ask, “committed to what?” I realized I was committed, but what was I
committed to?
According a lds.org article" Navigating the currents of life " by Mindy Anne Selu, the first step to goal setting is self-evaluation
and using that information to set worthwhile goals.
Some questions to ask are Where do I need
development? What do I want out of life? Where do I want to go? How can I get there? Once those questions are answered, decide on
the goals. To get some help with this we
can use our Savior as an example. We
know that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man”
Luke 2:52
In the
article on lds.org “3 ways setting goals can be different this year”, it states
first you must know what God wants from you.
This is for all goals spiritual or otherwise. Seek revelation through prayer and ponder
what Heavenly Father wants you to accomplish.
President Uchtdorf said “The holy scriptures and the talks given at
general conference are an effective mirror we can hold up for self-examination
When I took
time to self-evaluate, I realized that I was committed to my personal and
business goals. I love reading and
listening to podcasts on the topics that interest me. Even though spiritual
goals are interesting to me, I wondered why I didn’t make them a priority. Again, as I looked back to my goals in 2016 I
realized that many of those goals had deadlines or some external motivation
that forced me to achieve my goals. For
example, one of the goals I had was to become a bereavement doula. The training had a scheduled training and a
set deadline to finish all the needed items for certification. Those deadlines were a big reason I finished
and became certified. But why was I not
committed to my spiritual goals, like my personal development goals? I didn’t have a strong enough internal
motivation or external motivation. I had
not real concrete deadline. I want to
progress spiritual, but don’t we have eternity to do that? As a procrastinator, eternity is a hard
deadline for ensuring any results. The
commitment I needed was with myself.
Which brings
me to the second step and that is progression and attainment. Elder Ashton says “In setting our own goals
we need to examine our own needs and abilities.
The direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are
at the moment. Goal setting should cause
us to stretch as we make our way.
Elder Hilbig
said “The path to eternal life is not on a plateau. Rather it is on an incline,
ever onward and upward”
Overcoming
complacency and finding the motivation to progress are the first steps to
improving the course of your life.
Elder Ashton
asks “Am I sufficiently committed to righteous goals?
I considered
my goals. I had worthwhile goals but I
wanted to grow spiritual as well as academically. I looked at my home and family and I
understood that I needed to have a lot of internal motivation to achieve those
spiritual goals with eternal rewards.
In the
article Navigating the current of your life, it states “if your life’s progress
seems like it comes to a standstill, catch a current of motivation and keep
improving. Whatever your personal goal
reaching incentives may be, get moving!!
Dale
Carnegie once said “If you are not in the process of becoming the person you
want to be, you are automatically engaged in becoming the person you don’t want
to be.”
I want to be
spiritually enriched, so I can enrich those around me. I want to have a home that is like unto
Zion. If I don’t commit to spiritual
goals as I commit to other ones, I am not becoming the person I want to be.
Another
hurdle many of us face in achieving our goals is the realization that we can’t
achieve all our goals at once. We might
fail or falter and with that comes disappointment which in turn can cause us to
stop our progression Elder Ashton
states “It is wise and proper to make the most of every opportunity. But don’t quit or weep because of failure or
disappointments. “A truly committed
person does not falter in the face of adversity. According to 1 Nephi3:7 the Lord giveth no
commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them
that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
If we know
what Heavenly Father wants for us, we also know that he will provide a way.
I realized
that even though I wasn’t successful in my spiritual goals, God will give me
the necessary abilities and opportunities to achieve them. I realized that I did better in 2016 than I
did in 2015. I didn’t even record
anything for that year, at least not consistently. So, I did progress and this year I will
continue to progress onward and upward.
Elder Ashton
also says “the difference between those committed and those who are not is the
difference between the words want and will.
For example, I want to pay tithing but our funds are so limited or I
will pay my tithing.”
My personal
example is “I want to have FHE ( Family Home Evening) but we are so busy. Instead, I told my children. We will hold FHE weekly!!!
Know that God can help you succeed. President Monson said “Although we are left
to find and follow that path which will lead us back to our Father in
Heaven. He did not send us here without
directions and guidance. He will assist
us as we seek his help and strive to do all in our power to endure to the end
and gain eternal life.
We have a
powerful tool to help us achieve our righteous goals. Heavenly Father! He is here to help us. But as a loving father he is also there when
we fall behind or fail to achieve our goals.
If you set
your goals and fall short of achieving them, remember God loves you every
day. President Uctdorf said He loves you
today with a full understanding of your struggles..he knows of your remorse for
the times you have fallen short or failed.
And he still loves you. He wants
you to achieve your destiny to return to your heavenly home in honor.
We are not
perfect which is why it is important to understand that we must be committed to
move forward and upward. Always move
forward even when we stumble back.
Rejoice in
the goals you meet, and learn from those you don’t. It is not a failure when you learn and grow
from even those goals you did not accomplish.
Elder Ashton
concludes his talk saying, it is not too late to commit ourselves to living the
gospel totally while here on earth. Each
day we must be committed to lofty Christian performance because commitment to
the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ is essential to our eternal joy and
happiness. The time to commit and
recommit is now.
Brothers and
Sister, in this new year, consider your commitments. Set righteous goals both spiritually and
temporally and if you falter recommit and continue to recommit. Heavenly Father has faith in you and he wants
you to succeed. 
