If you don’t know what your goal is, then it is impossible to hit. I believe that goals are essential to have in the life of every person. We may not have them written out, but we should know what we want to accomplish every day, week, month, year, and in our lifetime. Setting a goal allows us to see the next step that we must take to reach that goal. It also allows us to know when we have accomplished what we set out to do. Here are a few reasons why we should set goals. 

One – It gives us a purpose 

Every person on this planet needs a purpose in life. Without purpose, people don’t see the value in living or getting out of bed every day. My purpose on earth is to glorify God and take His Gospel to others. I know what my goal is, and so every day, I can wake up with purpose. It is essential to set goals for our lives and understand our purpose, but we should not just do it for lifetime goals but also daily or monthly goals. 

If my goal is to finish college, then my purpose is to get a degree, which means that I need to study this afternoon. If my goal is to run a marathon, I know that I have to run this morning. The run this morning is to allow me to finish the marathon so that I can reach my goal. I know that many people will make goals and then still not do them. However, the majority of the time it will help you to set a goal. It will give you a purpose and a reason for why you do things. Why should I stay and study instead of hanging out with my friends? Because I got to achieve my goal of finishing college. Goals will allow us to have more purpose in our decisions and lives. 

Two – It helps us know what we should focus on 

There are so many wonderful things that we can do every day of our lives. We have so many options. Today more than any other time, we must learn to prioritize the best things over the good things. A few hundred years ago, you might have had the choice of hunting, building a fence, or working in the garden. It may not have been quite that limited, but you get the idea. However, today we have the option of going to church, watching tv, hanging out with friends, going on a road trip, reading a book, taking a class, going to the gym, or going shopping. There are thousands of different things we can choose to do every day. John Maxwell said, “Good is the enemy of great.” We must decide to do the most important things. 

One of the best ways to decide what is more critical is through our goals. Goals will remind us of what is more important. Many times when we are presented with options of two good things to do we can’t figure out what one is more important Maybe our goal is to write a book and we were planning on working on the book in the evening, but then you are invited to go out to eat with some friends. It would be great to go hang out with friends, but if you want to achieve your goal, you know that you have to work on your book. This does not mean that you can’t do anything fun, but it does help you realize what your priorities are and what to do if you want to hit your goals. 

Three – It allows us to know if we failed or succeeded 

This is probably the toughest one of all. However, I believe it is good to know when you failed at something and when you succeeded. If you want to lose weight and get in shape and set a goal of going to the gym three times a week and you only go once, then it is pretty clear that you are failing. It is good to know that you are failing because suddenly you realize that you must change. If you had just thought I will try to go to the gym occasionally, then you would have felt okay about only going once because you did not have a goal. However, having a goal allows us to see where we are failing and what we need to change. 

Also, having a goal allows us to see when we are succeeding and lets us know that we are on the right track. If you don’t have a goal, then you won’t know if you are succeeding or failing, but a goal allows you to see if you are hitting where you aimed.