How a Wedding Can Help Your Goals

I attended a beautiful wedding this weekend. The wedding vows and celebration got me thinking about how a wedding shares so many principles with reaching your goals

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Sharing your goals with others is a great method for reaching your goals, providing accountability and motivation. So what if we got all our friends and family together, stood up on stage with an official and declared our commitment to our goals. Next, we could pray over them and throw a party to celebrate.

I admit a wedding celebration is probably too much for most goals. But you can apply these same 5 principles to goals of any size:

1. Tell others about your goals. Weddings can have a few people or several hundred there to witness the bride and groom get married. It does not have to be a large gathering, but you need to let others help you reach your goals and keep you motivated toward pursuing them. It’s going to get hard and you will want your loved ones around you to help. You may not think anyone wants to share your goals with you, but I guarantee there are people out there who will help. Tell as many people as you can about your goals.
2. Plan your goals. Goals can always be changed but the big ones require time, energy and a ton of commitment. If you goal is to run a marathon, you won’t go out and run 26.2 miles the first time you run. You have to have a training plan to work your way to a marathon. (If your goal is a marathon or any other running, here’s a great resource: http://www.halhigdon.com)
3. Start off on the right foot. A honeymoon gives the bride and groom a chance to celebrate (more on that principle in #5) and also to get started in their new life together. A relaxing and intimate time together will help the couple set a good foundation for their marriage. Your goal also needs a solid foundation. Once you set your goal and plan the steps, make a concerted effort to get started the best way possible.
4. Give yourself a reminder. Wedding rings stay with the bride and groom every day to remind them of the love and commitment they have with their spouse. Your goals need the same reminders. Notes, pictures, quotes, and key chains are easy ways to remember your goal. Put them in places you see every day. In our home, we are notorious for writing on our bathroom mirror with a dry-erase markers. It’s easy to erase (unless it stays for a year… then you need some glass cleaner) but it’s in a place that I see at least twice per day.
5. Celebrate. You don’t have to wait till the end of your goal to celebrate, although you should definitely reward yourself when you reach your goal. When you make significant progress or hit a milestone you need to recognize that. The celebrations can vary just as much as your goals. They can range from a $2 cup of coffee to a day off work to a full-blown party.