The Right Tools for the Job

Having goals is great. Having a plan is even better. But, having the right tools is essential.

For example:

Goal-lose weight

Plan-cut out junk food, eat at home more, exercise

Tools-healthy cook books, good lunchbox to take food from home, quality running shoes that fit, work out clothes NOT made of cotton

Goal-complete a triathlon

Plan-register for event, follow training program

Tools-training program, bike made for races, proper shoes, swim gear

Goal-read through the Bible in a year

Plan-follow set reading plan

Tools-reading plan, Bible

Some folks start off the year with a goal which is the first step but if there is no plan, it’s only a wish. “I want to lose 40 pounds.” That’s great...... but how?  It’s not magically going to come off by wishing it away.  Trust me, I know.  There are so many ways to lose weight.  You need to do your research and decide what works best for your philosophy and taste.  

Once you have decided HOW you want to lose weight, you need to make sure you have the right tools.  For portion control, do you have measuring cups or a food scale to make sure you are truly eating one serving size according to the nutrition label? Do you want to weigh yourself weekly? Daily? Do you have a scale to do so?  Do you want to fit in a certain pair of jeans? Set them aside in your closet so you can try them on once a week.   Do you have a meal plan? Is your house stocked with fruits and vegetables that you like and will eat?  Do you need accountability? Join a group.

With reading through the Bible this year the tools are simple but essential. Reading plan, a Bible I can take with me, and a friend who is also following the plan to keep me accountable.  It’s working out well.  I have found that I take my Bible with me everywhere now just in case I have time between things to read.  Some people use an app on their phone to read so it’s always with them. I have a Bible in a case with handles like a purse. The latest thing my friend and I both realized we need is a printed version of the reading plan right in our Bible so we don’t have to keep looking up on the website to see which chapters are to be read for that day.

For my marriage, my husband and I want to have more date nights.  So we sat down with our planners and wrote the dates down. I’ve contacted my sister to watch the kids (babysitters are my biggest obstacle when it comes to date nights! They usually cost more than the date itself and I HATE asking for help. It’s an issue I’m working on.)  We’ve discussed what movies we’d like to see and checked out Fandango to see which movies will be showing on our date nights. Other things we’ve put in place to keep our marriage improving is surrounding ourselves with other strong married couples and we have at times seen a counselor or attended marriage retreats.  We laugh together daily and we talk about the things that bother us.  We’ve spent time learning each other’s personality traits and reading books about marriage.  I’m a very independent person with a short attention span so keeping long-term commitments is not my strong point.  If marriages are going to last in our culture, it’s going to take hard work and surrounding yourselves with the tools you need to succeed.

Have you found yourself frustrated with some goals you have set for this year? Can you think of tools you need to help you get past this point of frustration?  If your goals are going well, what tools have helped you to be successful?