Hey everyone!

I’m back with another Sermon Notes blog post, which was inspired by the second week of our “I Will” sermons at church.

In society, we are quick to celebrate major accomplishments and milestones, such as graduations and weddings. However, if we focus too much on that accomplishment or milestone, we will belittle the process of getting to that point. Even more, we will become frustrated when we are not seeing the results we had desired.

In church, our pastor talked about starting small and finishing strong. This sermon really resonated with me, as I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to be intentional with everything in my life. I wrote out everything I wanted to accomplish this year and how I would measure success in each area (click here to view that post). And you may have done the same this month, planning out how this year could be better than last year.

Yet, in order for us to accomplish our goals, we must set mini goals. For example, if you have a goal to lose 20lbs this year, you will need a plan how you will realistically lose the weight. So that will mean going to the gym, eating healthier, and getting more rest. If you want something different, you have to do something different. However, just saying or desiring to lose weight will need a measure of accountability and determination.

As I mentioned, my word for this year is “intentional.” In my personal life this year, I want to: read (the Bible and other books) more, write more on my blog, write a book, and be healthier. A lot of the times when I come home from work, I just want to relax. Even though I have every intention of going to the gym or writing, I just don’t. The solution I discovered — which is not new — is to create a schedule. Since I have different work schedules from week to week, I split my calendar into two weeks. And each week, I adjusted my schedule to accommodate what I have planned. I scheduled time for me to go to the gym, to write, to read, to have quiet time with God, and to have free time. When creating your own schedule, you don’t want to overbook your schedule with activities that you don’t have time to relax.

This is only my first week using the schedule, and I still have to make some changes. But you can see how this will be effective in reaching my goals. Instead of planning in your mind when you may or may not do something, you know what you’ll do based on the schedule you create. If I just want to go home and relax — if it’s on my schedule for that day — I’ll have to relax after I workout for 30 min-1 hour. Now I know what you’re thinking, “having it on paper is not going to really make encourage me to do x.” I know. To help you reach your goals, you need some accountability. I have a personal trainer to help me reach my fitness goals. I don’t want him to feel as though I am not taking this seriously, so I eat healthier and workout on days that I don’t see him. So find someone who will help keep you accountable to your goals.

Don’t be discouraged by the journey, the process will make the accomplishment or milestone worthwhile. Start small and finish strong. Write down your goals, set mini goals, be intentional to accomplish them, and find someone to keep you accountable. I promise, if you do those things, you will learn to love the process. As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to like/comment/subscribe/share.

Love,

Britt ♥

p.s. here’s a link to the sermon http://subspla.sh/wkw89dy