Five Reasons to Take a Goalsetting Retreat

It is fascinating how top-level football (soccer) players kick the ball with absolute precision into the goal, even in the heat of a match with several defenders trying steal it. Of course, this is because professional athletes don’t show up to play unprepared. They kick with precision because they have practiced the plays hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

THE GOALSETTING PROCESS

Like top athletes, great leaders don’t just show up to lead without “rehearsing the plays” and setting goals. Some of the best leaders even take the goalsetting process one step further — taking time away from their activities to find a private place for an annual goalsetting retreat.

One of the most influential leaders of our time, Michael Hyatt, states:

You cannot become the best version of yourself without
some process of setting and achieving big goals.

It is not enough to simply set goals. We must develop a process to achieve our goals, and taking an annual retreat is one of the most important steps to this process.
 

FIVE REASONS TO PLAN YOUR RETREAT

Soon, I will have my own annual retreat in preparation for next year. Here are five reasons I suggest you have one, too:

1. It is a Great Idea — I think we can all honestly say we could use a couple quiet days to reflect and plan ahead.

2. Silence is Golden — I don't know about you, but my life is loud. We are surrounded by noise, sometimes so loud we can hardly hear ourselves think. A couple days of silence allow us focus and prioritize.

3. God will Speak — How do I know? God is more interested in speaking to you than for you to speak to yourself. When you quiet down and listen, God will speak.

4. All Great Leaders Retreat — Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, takes a whole week to think, read, and innovate new ideas. Fortune Magazine considers goalsetting retreats as one of the 20 most significant business decisions of all time.

5. You Will be Renewed — I always come out of these retreats inspired and excited about continuing to serve God and my fellow leaders around the world. With a goalsetting retreat, the same can be true for you.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Most of my personal goalsetting retreats have been in January, but recently, I have begun to carve some time before the end of the year for my time alone with God for setting goals. Now is the perfect time for you to do the same. During the rest of the month, we will be re-publishing two more posts on the subject of Goalsetting from last year. I hope they can motivate you to take time alone to set your goals for next year as soon as possible.

I can assure you from experience, God will bless this time of reflection and speak to you clearly, molding you into a more effective leader for the Kingdom.

FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE LEADERSHIP

Driving in muddy roads can be a challenge. Without the proper vehicle, your chances of spinning your wheels, getting stuck, or spinning off the road are high. Years ago, when I served as a missionary, we often traveled to distant villages, driving through unpaved roads. Without powerful four-wheel-drive vehicles, our medical team would not have reached our destination and accomplished our goals of serving people in the name of Christ.

The Muddy Middle

Starting a project or setting goals is like embarking on a journey. At the end of the line is success and excitement, but in the middle of the process, leaders and teams often run into muddy roads, or what Michael Hyatt calls “the messy middle.”

In her book, “Confidence: How Winning and Losing Streaks Begin and End,” author Rosabeth Moss Kanter stated that “everything will look like a failure in the middle.” That is when roads get muddy and we face the greatest challenge. It is also when the right decisions, much like the mode to switch to 4x4 will propel us forward.

How to Get Out of the Mud

January and February are exciting months, when we are launching into our annual goals. By November and December we know which ones will make it and which ones will fail. It is during the second and third quarter of the year that we need to engage in 4X4, simple measures to help move us firmly forward.

1. Evaluate: Take a look at what you accomplished thus far, pray, and ask the tough questions. Do I have enough resources, is this goal really attainable within this time frame?

2. Eliminate Clutter: I often hear that the good is the enemy of the best. Prioritizing is the art of eliminating a lot of reasonably good things you are doing, so you can focus on the best, those actions that will get you closes to your vision and contribute the most to your calling and purpose.

3. Stay the Course. Once you decided on your priority goals, push through. When you are running a marathon, there comes a time when your legs will want to quit. It is when the will takes over despite resistance from the body.

4. Focus on the Finish Line. Another lesson from marathons is that runners have one thing in their minds: the finish line, whether it is still 40 km ahead or just around the corner. A vision of the end result of God’s work through you will be the motivation for you and your team to push through the difficult struggles of the middle.

Wherever you are in the pursuit of your goals, there will come a time when your wheels will start spinning through the muddy middle. Engage your leadership in four wheel drive: Evaluate, eliminate clutter, stay the course, and focus. Soon you will see progress towards the goal God inspired you to set.

FIVE REASONS TO TAKE A GOALSETTING RETREAT

It is fascinating how top-level football (soccer) players kick the ball with absolute precision into the goal, even in the heat of a match with several defenders trying steal it. Of course, this is because professional athletes don’t show up to play unprepared. They kick with precision because they have practiced the plays hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

THE GOALSETTING PROCESS

Like top athletes, great leaders don’t just show up to lead without “rehearsing the plays” and setting goals. Some of the best leaders even take the goalsetting process one step further — taking time away from their activities to find a private place for an annual goalsetting retreat.

One of the most influential leaders of our time, Michael Hyatt, states:

You cannot become the best version of yourself without
some process of setting and achieving big goals.

It is not enough to simply set goals. We must develop a process to achieve our goals, and taking an annual retreat is one of the most important steps to this process.
 

FIVE REASONS TO PLAN YOUR RETREAT

Soon, I will have my own annual retreat in preparation for next year. Here are five reasons I suggest you have one, too:

1. It is a Great Idea — I think we can all honestly say we could use a couple quiet days to reflect and plan ahead.

2. Silence is Golden — I don't know about you, but my life is loud. We are surrounded by noise, sometimes so loud we can hardly hear ourselves think. A couple days of silence allow us focus and prioritize.

3. God will Speak — How do I know? God is more interested in speaking to you than for you to speak to yourself. When you quiet down and listen, God will speak.

4. All Great Leaders Retreat — Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, takes a whole week to think, read, and innovate new ideas. Fortune Magazine considers goalsetting retreats as one of the 20 most significant business decisions of all time.

5. You Will be Renewed — I always come out of these retreats inspired and excited about continuing to serve God and my fellow leaders around the world. With a goalsetting retreat, the same can be true for you.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Most of my personal goalsetting retreats have been in January, but recently, I have begun to carve some time before the end of the year for my time alone with God for setting goals. Now is the perfect time for you to do the same. During the rest of the month, we will be re-publishing two more posts on the subject of Goalsetting from last year. I hope they can motivate you to take time alone to set your goals for next year as soon as possible.

I can assure you from experience, God will bless this time of reflection and speak to you clearly, molding you into a more effective leader for the Kingdom.

FIVE REASONS TO TAKE A GOALSETTING RETREAT

It is fascinating how top-level football (soccer) players kick the ball with absolute precision into the goal, even in the heat of a match with several defenders trying steal it. Of course, this is because professional athletes don’t show up to play unprepared. They kick with precision because they have practiced the plays hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

THE GOALSETTING PROCESS

Like top athletes, great leaders don’t just show up to lead without “rehearsing the plays” and setting goals. Some of the best leaders even take the goalsetting process one step further — taking time away from their activities to find a private place for an annual goalsetting retreat.

One of the most influential leaders of our time, Michael Hyatt, states:

You cannot become the best version of yourself without
some process of setting and achieving big goals.

It is not enough to simply set goals. We must develop a process to achieve our goals, and taking an annual retreat is one of the most important steps to this process.
 

FIVE REASONS TO PLAN YOUR RETREAT

Soon, I will have my own annual retreat in preparation for next year. Here are five reasons I suggest you have one, too:

1. It is a Great Idea — I think we can all honestly say we could use a couple quiet days to reflect and plan ahead.

2. Silence is Golden — I don't know about you, but my life is loud. We are surrounded by noise, sometimes so loud we can hardly hear ourselves think. A couple days of silence allow us focus and prioritize.

3. God will Speak — How do I know? God is more interested in speaking to you than for you to speak to yourself. When you quiet down and listen, God will speak.

4. All Great Leaders Retreat — Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, takes a whole week to think, read, and innovate new ideas. Fortune Magazine considers goalsetting retreats as one of the 20 most significant business decisions of all time.

5. You Will be Renewed — I always come out of these retreats inspired and excited about continuing to serve God and my fellow leaders around the world. With a goalsetting retreat, the same can be true for you.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

My last goalsetting retreat was in January, the beginning of the year. This year, I have decided to take my goalsetting to the next level and start the process earlier (in November), so I can start the year with set goals and clear focus. Now is the perfect time for you to do the same. In the next couple weeks, I will be writing more on the subject of goalsetting. My hope is these posts will help you as you begin to think ahead and set your own goals.

I can assure you God will bless this time of reflection and speak to you clearly, molding you into a more productive leader for the Kingdom.

by Norival Trindade