Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”
Choosing to live life spontaneously sounds appealing, but it won’t get you far. A fool or a sluggard fails to plan. He ‘does not plough in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing” (Proverbs 20:4) – he wastes his time, his talents, his treasure. God help us to avoid that trap!
I’m not naturally wired to write lists, mission statements, and goals, but I have come to see the benefits of them. The following research profoundly influenced me:
Only 3% of people have goals and plans that are thought through and written down. 10% of people do have goals and plans, but they’re not written down, just stored somewhere in their brains. The remaining 87% drift through life without clear goals or plans, being ‘spontaneous’ if you like. They are reactive, allowing circumstances to dictate their behaviour rather than their behaviour being guided by clearly defined principles and goals.
Which group are you in? The mind-blowing discovery was that the 3%ers achieved between fifty and a hundred times in their lives what the… not the 87%ers – that’s what you’re expecting to hear – but no, what the 10%ers achieved. I have an issue with how they work out the fifty or hundred times greater achievement, but it makes an extremely powerful case for joining the 3% club, if you want to make the most of your life.
As philosopher poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he’s going.” I’ve got the best map to show me the way to go, so I’m confident I’ll get there. How about you? Please don’t be an 87%er, or even a 10%er. Join the 3% club! Set aside some time to pray, seek God, and then commit your goals to writing, making them personal, specific, achievable (with him), measurable and time-sensitive. Go for it!
Lord, I choose today to be a 3%er and to maximize my life for your glory. Amen!
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