Reach your potential

Do you feel like you find it difficult to complete a task? Are you not getting things done and need a strategy to get there?

I find that in the transition of becoming an adult, you learn strategies that teach you how to get things done effectively in order to succeed. I find that although task-oriented strategies comes easy to me, it's not so for everyone. Some people have a hard time accomplishing tasks because it can be overwhelming, they're afraid to fail, they lack confidence, etc.

However, accomplishing tasks is a skill. Skills are things that need to be practiced in order to master. Skills are like muscles, you have to build them! Once you have, it's easy to distribute them to other areas of your life; namely your spiritual life.

Make goals
The reason why you may find it hard to accomplish things is because you don't have direction. Making clear, realistic goals is an easy way to motivate yourself. Goals give you a benchmark to reach, it is something measurable and helps you remain focused through the process. Write down your goals and put them in a place where you can see them. Remember that no goal is too small. In fact, creating goals in increments might be better. Sure you would love to lose 20 pounds, but if you split it up in portions, it might not seem as overwhelming or unmotivating as, say, 8 pounds. If you have set goals in the past that you failed to reach, perhaps you need to split them up into attainable portions. I can be notorious for biting off too much than I can chew and that's the perfect recipe toward an overwhelmed, unmotivated slump.

Make a commitment 
Once you have your goals, recondition your mind. Reaching goals and completing tasks takes discipline. Discipline is training your mind and body to do things based on priority and importance and not based on emotions and feelings. The Bible speaks on training the body to submit, to take thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. It is possible to gain control of our thoughts, motives and actions. It is also important to renew our minds. We should go into new things with a new mind. Let go of the past failures and situations that held you down and got you here. It's a new day and new commitments await. Retrain your mind, body and spirit to commit to your purpose and goal.

Make a strategy
Now that you have direction and the will to push forward, it's time to plan details. Perhaps you need to allot an hour a day to your goal. Maybe you need to set a certain amount of money aside each paycheck. Whatever the details are, create a strategy that is, once again, realistic. It is my belief that so many people fail because they are not patient enough to do small things in big ways. Small increments add up and small achievements are better than no achievements. Now, if you know you can get something done in a day, by all means go for it! The key to strategy is creating momentum. As creatures of habit, it's important to gain a momentum because once we accustom ourselves toward a task, it becomes easier as it becomes habitual. Writing five pages a day gets easier the third month than it was in the first week of doing it. Figure out ways to help you get to your goal by strategizing and executing your strategy on a set time schedule. It will soon become a part of your daily life.

Make a list
Prioritizing is a key to success. What needs to get done first and foremost? Write it down in incremental steps, then when the steps are complete, cross it out. It has been scientifically proven that physically crossing tasks off of lists boosts moods and feel-good chemicals in our bodies. This is also a great way to split things up into smaller pieces to help you not get overwhelmed quickly. Buy a notebook, if you must, and write down your goals, strategies and list of priorities. Make sure you are physically writing with pen and paper. It has been found that there is more of an emotional connection when physically writing things down versus typing. Buy highlighters and tag board, make charts!! Be as creative and innovative as you can, but begin at your first task and start crossing things off of your list!

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What I have found is that a planner does wonders in helping me set timely goals, write lists, build strategies and execute. Daily planners keep you organized and on target. I would highly suggest investing in a good one.

My prayer for you is that you start living to your fullest potential by setting goals for yourself and live to reach them. I believe that when we are focused on our call, we can achieve all that God has called us to. We can use the gifts he has given us and truly be good stewards of our talents. I know that there are dreams locked inside of you ready to be lived out! Remember that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Today is the day!

Blessings!