#2 Check Your Motives
It is difficult for me to publish my life goals because they are subject to interpretation. And if you don’t know the motivation behind them then some of them can come across as selfish. Let me give you an example because you really need to wrestle with your motives. You need to make sure you’re going after these goals for the right reasons.
One of my life goals is to own a vacation home.
Honestly, that can sound a little extravagant. Is it really necessary? No. But here is the motivation. 1) It is one way we want to diversify our portfolio and prepare for retirement. We view it as part of our nest egg. 2) The second reason is because we have had people bless us by letting us stay at their home for vacation when we couldn’t afford a vacation. And we want to return the favor. We want the house to be a place of ministry. We want to use it to bless others.
Let me talk about some of my travel goals.
I want to go lots of places and see lots of things. What is the motivation? Part of it is that I love to see new places and experience new things. But I honestly believe that adding stamps to my passport is one way I fulfill the Genesis Commission to fill the earth. The Creator wanted us to experience His creation! I bet God couldn’t wait until people started exploring planet earth so they could see everything he had made. Just like I can’t wait for my kids to open their gifts on Christmas morning, I bet God couldn’t wait for them to see a massive herd of wildebeest migrating across the African plains. He couldn’t wait for them to see the aurora borealis. He couldn’t wait until scuba gear was invented so people could fully appreciate the Great Barrier Reef. Travel is one way I worship God. I worship the Creator by appreciating His creation!
One of the things you’ll notice on my goal list is that I don’t have accumulation goals.
But I do have giving goals. I want to create a family foundation in part because I’m a trustee on a charitable trust and I’ve been inspired by the man who put the trust in his will. When he died, the trust fund was created and every year we give away tens of thousands of dollars to upstart ministries. Another life goal is to give away $3 million lifetime. I’m aware of the fact that we’d have to make a lot of money to give away that much. But two of my other goals are to write 25 books and sell 10 million copies. Those are big, hairy audacious goals. But that is the only way we’d ever be able to give away that kind of money. And the primary motivation is influence. I want to help people reach their God-given potential. That is my modus operandi. If my motives are wrong I will lose the favor of God and God won’t bless my efforts. But if my motives are right, I believe I’ll accomplish these goals.
So check your motives.
Here are some of the motives that I think are healthy and holy:
- You can set a goal to honor
- You can set a goal to maximize your potential. A lot of my physical goals fall into that category. It’s about taking care of the
- You can set a goal to make a difference. Most of my influence goals are motivated by the desire to make a difference. That is why I write. That is why I preach.
- You can set a goal because it will bring you joy. There is nothing wrong with that. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
