Are You Getting Newer Every Day?

In an effort to motivate her young charge to move more quickly, my friend challenged him in a race.  When he won with very little effort, he announced, "I won because I'm newer than you are!" She had to agree, he was a lot newer than she was.

As a counselor, I frequently work with  motivation and goal setting.  I find that most of us are resistant to everything about setting goals.  I've had some tell me that they've quit setting goals because they never work.  I've had some tell me that they just don't know what goals to set.  I hear a lot of 'yes buts' and 'if onlys' in regards to setting and accomplishing goals.  I must admit, I've been there myself.  Until recently, I only had vague ideas of what I wanted to accomplish as well.  In the past year however, I have not only written a mission statement which has helped to focus my efforts but I have also set a goal of publishing one of the children's stories that I have written but had in a drawer for years.  The amazing thing about setting a goal and making progress toward accomplishing it, is that the process itself encourages you to set more goals and begin working toward other goals.  Action in and of itself is a positive force.  It causes you to think and make decisions.  It increases the potential for moving in the direction of accomplishing the goal.  Even if you are not successful in accomplishing the goal, a lot is learned in the process. Setting goals means that you challenge the status quo.

I've recently been listening to a CD by Jim Rohn called The Art of Exceptional Living. He makes the statement that the best way to get ahead is to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. He says if you work hard on your job you can make a living but if you work hard on yourself you can make a fortune. I had to give this some thought. What he is NOT saying is quit working so hard on your job. What he is saying is, in addition to working hard on your job, put effort into improving yourself. Reading books and writing in a journal are two of the suggestions he has for improving yourself. When you work harder on yourself than on your job you are making yourself newer everyday! When you are new and improved you have a better chance of being a winner and accomplishing your goals!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  the old has gone, the new has come!  2Corinthians 5:17