Earlier, I shared about how to set up your values which will drive your goals. Once values are laid out then you set up goals that will make those things happen. Using the examples the previous post – your husband might be like a friend’s husband and want his dinner on the table when he comes home from work so your goal is to have a home cooked meal prepared by 6 pm. Being cheerful - memorize an appropriate Scripture each week; always speak kind words to cashiers; etc. Being fit - lose 10 pounds; walk 4 times a week; etc. Then you take your goals and drill them down into daily activities. Again using the above goals - go grocery shopping on Thursday; plan your weekly meals on Wednesday; be home at 4 o'clock each day; etc. By having the plan based on values, the mundane and monotonous things we do in life suddenly have value. There is a sense of urgency about what we are doing.

I would suggest that you take just one value - Christ-follower; husband; father; wife; mother; volunteer; etc. - and work on that one for a month or two than add another value, goal and daily tasks.

How do you know which one to start with? Ask yourself where you have the most “pain” – emotionally, mentally, spiritually or physically. Since I minister mostly to woman I can tell you that 99 times out of a 100 married women need to start with being a wife. As long as being a Christ follower is pretty solid the next step will be there. Even if you have an over the top marriage, there are always things you can do to make it better. Do that then move on to the next step.

For me the biggest challenge is to work the plan after I have planned the work. This is a great verse to motivate you on the path…

And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 (English Standard Version)

May we all finish well in the end by finishing well each day!