Growing up, I was obsessed with basketball. I practiced for hours upon end and worked hard to improve my skills. I attended camps, worked on the fundamentals, watched recordings of my games, and talked strategy late into the night.
The hard work totally paid off because my team was one of the best in the country and I was offered a full ride to college (which I didn’t end up taking).
Looking back on my basketball days, I’ve discovered an extremely important lesson. Setting goals and working hard really pays off.
Carrying That Lesson Into Your Womanhood
If I could have one wish for you this year, it would be this: That you would set goals for your womanhood and work hard towards those goals.
Way too often we as Christian girls (me included) work hard on our school, jobs, careers, our bodies, relationship status, hobbies etc., but then neglect our character and womanhood. We often forget that becoming a God-defined woman doesn’t just happen. We don’t automatically grow into Christ-focused women who naturally value what God values.
Unless we fix our eyes on the goal (Christ and biblical femininity) and work hard towards that end, it ain’t gonna happen.
Smart Girls Set Goals and Work Hard
I want to share with you my personal plan for the coming year. My hope is that I can focus on this bullseye and slowly (day-by-day) make progress in this direction.
I hope that this will inspire you to create a plan and set of goals for the coming year. Without a target, you won’t know what to work towards or where to aim your life. Think carefully as you read through this list and then prepare to brainstorm for your own set of goals.
Here are my three categories of goals I plan to work on this year:
1. A Realistic List With One Dream
I like to create a small list of 7-10ish goals. This list of goals gives me an idea of what I want to work on and what I want to spend my time on during the coming year. I typically make the majority of my list practical and add one “dream” goal.
For example, I always set a goal to read a certain amount of books each year. I typically shoot for 15 (we have a great book list if you need ideas).
Some of my other goals in the past have been: memorize a certain number of Bible verses, lead a Bible study, work on a character quality, improve on a specific skill, workout a certain amount, or something else along those lines.
Last year my dream goal was to secure a book publishing contract. Thankfully (by the grace of God and a ton of hard work) it happened.
2. The Kind of Woman I Want To Be
A good friend of mine shared this idea with me and I was totally inspired. Instead of just hoping to become a more God-defined woman, I plan to write out specifics for my future. Basically I’ll write out a description of who I want to be one year from now. I’ll then figure out ways to work towards becoming that person.
I highly encourage you to do this as well. Create a small description of who you hope to be one year from today and then map out how you plan to get there.
3. Do One thing Every Day That Scares You
Way too often I get set in my “norm” and don’t push myself outside of my comfort zone. This year I plan to work through a journal that challenges the reader to do one thing every day that scares you. I personally love this idea because it pushes me and challenges me to do new, hard and scary things on a daily basis.
This is a great idea for any of you hoping to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and bravely take on your fears.
That’s a Wrap
This coming year I pray that you will set goals, strive toward God-defined femininity, and challenge yourself to get outside your comfort zone. This year, set goals and work hard. You won’t make forward progress if you don’t have a target to shoot towards.
I would love to hear your goals and plans for the coming year. What do you hope to work on? How do you plan to accomplish your goals?
Share with me in the comments below.
