Lesson Song & Prayer
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Lesson 4
SMART GOALS FOR THE AUTHENTIC YOU
In this lesson, our hope is for you to discover what it means to be purposely and powerfully authentic. It is where you discover yourself as the gift God truly intended you to be, and making your purpose a priority to glorify him. You will also learn how to create a S. M. A. R. T. goal map. What is a smart goal?I’m so glad you asked! When aligned with your true self and vision, SMART goals are the action steps necessary to move you in the direction of your vision.
S- stands for “Specific” thing you want to accomplish.
M- stands for “Measurable” which identifies whether or not you prove there was change.
A-stands for “Attainable” which means it is realistic to accomplish.
R-stands for “Relevant” which means worthy of pursuing. And ….
T- stands for “Time Bound” which sets an expectation, or set point in the future to accomplish. Where you place your ATTENTION is where you place your INTENTION or FOCUS.
Let’s start by answering the question, “what is authentic?” The simple answer is, original and according to Merriam’s dictionary, “true to one’s personality, spirit, or character.” However, being authentic doesn’t mean acting in line with how you feel. It means making your feelings follow your true identity. The identity in which God created you in his image. If you truly want to be original, then begin seeing yourself the way the creator fashioned you and believe what he made you to be. Simply put, our identity as rooted in God. When you are in alignment with your true self you are in agreement with you and with God. There is no sweeter place to be.
How can you accomplish all of this?
1. Write out your five year vision right it from a place of thanks and gratitude of what you want your life to look like in five years.
2. Write out SMART goals for the following areas Health/Well-being, Relationships, Career/Education, and Spirituality/Contribution that align with you are and what you want.
Once you have taken the steps, get ready! Expect to experience an immediate shift on some level, simply because you started walking through the process.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good, and not for evil, to give you a future, and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11 -13.
Tips/Nuggets
As you work on S.M.A.R.T. Goal mapping outline, you will be getting crystal clear about what you want, why it’s important to you and how you are willing to show up for yourself differently to get there.
When I (Desiree Duran) began this outline for myself, I learned to breakdown my goal in the categories which now makes my goal setting expectations feel like I can achieve my results. For instance, I used to say things like, “this year I am going to get healthy and lose weight.” Let’s face it, that goal is a good one, however I didn’t have the mapping piece to actually get the goal in motion.
That goal seemed monumental and unachievable because I had no specificity behind it, therefore I personally did not accomplish that goal. In learning how to use the S. M.A.R.T. goal mapping outline, this is now what my goal looks like. See below:
Specific- I will purchase a gym membership and work out four days a week to be healthier.
Measurable- every week I will aim to lose one - two pounds.
Attainable- have I lost weight before? if yes, then I can surely do it again.
Relevant- losing weight is going to enhance my way of life.
Time-Bound- what date am I starting the gym and by what date will I reach my goal?
We hope this nugget has helped you as you begin to dive into this lesson. Wishing you many blessings on your authentic self and goal setting. If we can do it, there’s no doubt you can as well!
Going Deeper in the Word
Psalm 37:4- delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. This scripture means that the process of goalsetting begins with having desires of what you would want to happen, and then asking God to actually grant you those desires. The ultimate purpose of setting goals is to enable us to live a structured life to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes with accomplishing what we set out to do.
As Believers we've got to bear in mind that according to Ephesians 2:10, “we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. Setting clear goals can enable us to do our “good works”.
In Habakkuk 2:2-3 we are asked to write down the revelations (Goals) God shows us for each of them has an appointed time and will surely come to pass. At the same time when we set our goals we have to ensure that they are in writing, and kept in a place where we can refer to them often and visualize success.
Remember that we all have a purpose to fulfill here on earth, and that purpose is the contribution we make to the world or how we determine we want to be remembered after we pass. It is helpful that we begin the goal setting process by seeking God to show us what exactly he wants us to do. “God has promised to reveal great things to us if we seek him”. -Jeremiah 33:3
once you have prepared your goal list, the next step is take action. The smallest of actions is better than the noblest of intentions, therefore take baby steps and trust that God will reward your efforts. Proverbs 24:27, Matthew 17:20.
Additional scriptures to dive deep.
Proverbs 21:5- the plans of the diligently to Shirley to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (ESV)
Luke 14:28-suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? (NIV)
Psalm 20:4-may he give you the desires of your heart make all your plans succeed. (NIV)
Psalm 33:11-but the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (NIV)
Proverbs 16:3-commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (NIV)
Proverbs 16:9-in their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (NIV)
Isaiah 32:8-but he who is noble plans noble things, and on Noble things, he stands. (ESV)

Jesus came that we may live life to the full. As Believers, we are meant to be successful and blessed, so that we too may be a blessing to others. In order to accomplish this mapping your goals is imperative.
Real Talk
What are the consequences when you don’t set goals?
They are missed opportunities to learn and grow. And when you are not growing, you are stagnant. Like a tree without any growth, it will remain a stump. If you set a goal, but don’t achieve it then your integrity comes into play. We cover these two topics in lessons 1-3. When you set a goal, do all you can to achieve it. It’s not the finish line that counts. It’s the target you aim for.
On Journaling...
Journaling to me, is an act of worship. It is an intimate time between me and God that I don’t have to share with anyone. I am able to be free with my thoughts, to create, to dream and to connect with the very one who created me. If you are like me, worship plays a big role in your spiritual journey. Some of the most powerful interactions I’ve had with God were during worshiping God through Music. It sets the atmosphere for me to clear my mind, to focus and to be inspired. I will always begin with music before I journal and today I encourage you to do the same. Our prayer for you today is that you allow yourself to connect, go to that deep place in your heart and mind and allow the pen to flow freely. This is your time to not only reflect on the lesson, but to set your S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
We hope this weeks lesson has motivated you and as always, we are grateful you are on this journey with us. 
Have a blessed day and enjoy the music selection below.
With love, your authors
Resources
Take Advantage of the Resources we have put together for you!
When you utilize the workbook along with these resources, you will create lasting and undeniable results!