When God gives us a dream, He also partners with us to make it happen. Here’s how you can reach your goals.
You just know it in your heart, mind, and soul: God has given you a vision to accomplish something big. It may be starting a ministry, taking college courses, or launching a new business. But it feels a bit beyond your know-how and abilities. That’s okay, because when God lays a dream on us, it often may seem a bit beyond our reach. But when we pursue those goals, He will help us and be glorified in the process. And one vital part of this process is developing a success mindset.
15 Ways to Build Your Success Mindset:
1. Set your goals prayerfully.
The world’s idea of success can differ greatly from God’s. We learn from the Bible, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV). The best way to know you’re following His plan is to read a bit of scripture each day and pray for God to guide you. Reflect on ways you can bring His word into your success mindset.
2. Establish a step-by-step plan.
A great starting place is creating a plan of action with small, achievable goals on a reasonable timeline. Then one-by-one, you can mark your measurable progress.
3. Be willing to do something new and unknown.
Pursuing goals can mean taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone. But that also can be exciting and affirming as you push through doubts. And when you encounter a roadblock on one avenue toward your goal, just look in another direction. There’s always a different method or strategy!
4. Remember God’s faithfulness.
When we start working toward big goals, we might feel a little intimidated, and perhaps even fearful of failure. This is why maintaining a success mindset requires faith. Use those moments of doubt to remember God’s faithfulness—prayerfully recalling times of the past when He has seen you through challenging times.
5. Educate yourself.
When we’re moving forward, we’re stepping into new territory, which often means we have to do research or watch how-to videos or even take one or more courses. It will be easier to keep your success mindset when you are consistently learning and moving toward your goals. Whether you seek to improve in cooking, art, or fundraising work, all kinds of training can be found online—often for free!
6. Find a supportive network.
Staying positive as you pursue goals is important, and part of that may mean seeking out those who are supportive. Personal coaches can be helpful, as can online networks and people who have certain skills that are too time-consuming for you to pursue. For example, if you are starting a home-based business but aren’t technically or financially savvy, it makes sense to delegate and pay for those kinds of services.
7. Pace yourself.
When we get excited about reaching a goal, we may have the idea that all the pieces need to come together quickly. But the Bible tells us, “There is a time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV). Part of developing a success mindset is learning to be patient with your progress. As you steadily dedicate time to your plan, you will eventually get there.
8. Find a measure of balance.
Some of us are all-in kind of people. We dive deeply into new projects but may neglect other aspects of our lives, such as our family or even our health. Success isn’t just about reaching goals—it’s also about having a balanced life.
9. Follow through with hard tasks.
Very little that’s worthwhile will be easy. Part of your plan toward your goal could be tedious, mentally or physically taxing. It just might not be fun at all some days! For example, if you were starting a new ministry for children, that might mean a lot of clean-up after activities. But sometimes we can reframe our mindset so that we remember the smiles—others or our own!
10. Be patient with yourself and others.
Some goals just take a little longer to reach. And when others are involved in part of the process, you might find you’re in a waiting zone. Instead of getting frustrated with the pause, you can take a deep breath and pray, knowing that God will give you the strength, endurance, and patience (Colossians 1:11).
11. Dismiss discouragement with gratitude.
Setbacks or roadblocks are inevitable. Others may not follow through with their commitments to help. Or you may find yourself in a season of over-commitment that prevents you from chipping away at your plan. Instead of getting discouraged or even giving up, you can determine to thank God for progress you have made and for other joys in your life. James tells us to “Consider it all joy” when we encounter trials because they build character into us (James 1:2-4 NASB).
12. Remember your “why.”
One way to keep your success mindset front and center is to remember our “why”. When God plants an idea in our hearts, minds, and souls and when we pursue His path for our lives, we can know that we are doing something with our lives that will point others to Him. He is our Creator, our Strength, and our Why—the reason behind whatever we do in His name.
13. Focus on the journey.
While it’s important to keep moving forward toward a goal, taking pauses to appreciate the journey itself is important. Yes, you’ll want to keep your eyes on the prize, but taking moments to breathe helps you appreciate the important increments of your progress.
14. Persist to the end.
Every day is a fresh slate. It can be a place of frustration and disappointment, or it can be an opportunity to dig in and persevere toward the end result. In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable about a widow who kept taking her case to a judge—with the important teaching that we should always pray and not give up. That’s true for prayer, but it’s also true for whatever calling God has given us. Finishing well is important.
15. Celebrate!
Any success is worth celebrating. Achieving God-given goals can feel miraculous. You created a plan and worked hard with God’s companionship along the way. Mark the occasion with praise and thanksgiving . . . and lots of smiles. With God’s help, you did it!
