Slow and Steady Will Always Win
Thoughts on "Finishing the Year Strong," Adopting Seasonal Goal Setting, & Growing at Your Own Pace
October is here, and I can’t believe it! I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to believe. I find myself repeating this phrase month after month. We begin a new month and for some of us, we set our goals but more or less, our rhythms and routines remain the same. Day in and day out, we tend to our own individual fields and before we know it, we look up, and we are at the end of another day. That day turns into a week, and that week turns into a month. And before we know it, we’re nearing the end of the year, and culture won’t let you forget it.
“There’s only 90 days left in the year, finish strong!”
“It’s not too late to finish your goals!”
“Any day can be your January 1st!”
I know. In the past, I pushed and preached a similar message, and while these messages are motivating to some, they can be discouraging to others because they fail to take into account that as with everything, goals have a season.
Before I became a mom, I had no problem with setting several lofty goals. At the time, I didn’t have as many responsibilities as I do now, and I had more capacity and time to pursue them. However, every time I added a new baby to my family, my capacity changed, and as a result, so did my goals. When my twins were born, I had a hard time accepting and adapting to this new reality. Although I didn’t expect things to remain the same, I didn’t realize that there would be a drastic change in how much I would be able to accomplish. Not because my motivation or ambition changed but my season did.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 reminds us that there is a season for everything:
“For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.”
So if there’s a time and a season for everything, why is there such pressure and a rush for us to achieve our goals? In his book Seasons of God, Richard Blackaby describes how God uses seasons as developmental tools that shape us.
“The key to getting the most out of life — to experiencing everything God intends for us — is found in our perspective. A seasonal outlook plays an especially big role in that. It provides a vantage point that allows us to wisely handle expectations, ambitions, and disappointments as well as decision making. It helps us make sense of where we are in life right now… and to be more deliberate about our future.”
Just as we look to spring, summer, fall, and winter for seasonal signs and cues as to how we should dress and engage in the season’s activities, we too can look to our life for seasonal cues to help us distinguish our season and set realistic expectations for our goals. Maybe you just had a new baby. Now may not be the time to start a new house project but discover new rhythms and routines that will serve you and your family. Maybe you started a new job and don’t have time to read as many books as you thought you would as you settle into your new job and company. Maybe you signed up for too many activities this fall, not realizing that they would interfere with your already full schedule. Maybe it’s not the right season for these commitments, and that’s okay. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your goals, but you may have to pivot or make some adjustments based on your season.
Contrary to what our “self-help” culture pushes, you don’t need to set new goals every week, month, quarter, or even every year. While I agree that goal accomplishment requires intentional and consistent action, vision requires you to take a long-suffering approach toward your goals — an approach that requires discipline, perseverance, and the ability to surrender and trust God with your purpose, dreams, and plans.
This year I have been reminded that I can plan, prepare, plant, and even water my goals, but it is only God who can make things grow.1 While some of the goals I set at the beginning of the year were short-term and practical, many of them support my long-term vision, meaning I’m not going to get a quick win overnight. Rather than forcing them into fruition, every day I surrender them, faithfully making slow, steady progress bit by bit.
What if rather than focusing on finishing strong, we focus on marching on? Marching steadily, fixing our eyes on the prize, not just our goals, dreams, and desires but Christ Himself. When we get our eyes off ourselves and onto Him, we can receive the refreshment and endurance we need to run the unique race He sets before us. Think of it more as a sure and steady strut rather than a quick sprint. There is no rush.
When we adopt this mindset, we have the freedom to grow at our own pace, peacefully pursuing what God puts in front of us in our respective seasons. As Blackaby puts it, seeing life from this perspective helps us to “squeeze every ounce of life out of each season in turn — to continually grow in purpose, passion, and perspective — and then to boldly move on to the next season when it comes.”
For more on setting goals that are in season, check out this old but still relevant post.
📚 Reads to Help You Discern & Steward Your Season 🍁🍂
The Seasons of God by Richard Blackaby. I found myself picking up this read in January 2020 right before the pandemic and right before finding out I was pregnant with my first child. In the Seasons of God, Blackby shares how just as God has purposes for the seasons in nature, He uses seasons to grow, develop, and prune us for His purpose and glory. This is a read that you will find yourself revisiting throughout your various seasons.
How to Get Unstuck by Matt Perman. It’s easier to discern the season of your goals when you’re aware of your purpose and mission. Purpose provides foundation and fuel for all of your life decisions and actions, and your vision gives you direction. From there you can set goals that allow you to focus on taking the right steps that will help you walk in purpose and carry out your vision. Many times we’re not stuck because of our goals, we’re stuck because we lack mission and direction. In How to Get Stuck, Matt Perman walks you through the discipline of personal effectiveness and productivity using theologically-sound and gospel-centered principles.
What’s Best Next by Matt Perman. In this book, Matt Perman builds on the principles of personal effectiveness and time management by showing you how to identify the right things to get done. What’s Best Next walks you through several time killers like procrastination, interruptions, and multitasking and how to address them to overcome self-sabotage and serve others, using productivity for God’s glory. I’ve re-read both of Perman’s books several times. Both are great reads that again, you will find yourself revisiting time and time again.2
In Case You Missed It
One of the reasons I started sharing this newsletter is because it contributes to my purpose as well as my long-term vision and goals. I shared more about it in last week’s post.
You Have Permission
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Can I let you in on a struggle of mine? I’ve always had a hard time making decisions. Regardless of how big or small the decision may be, the question in the back of my mind has always been, “Am I making the right decision?” I found myself asking this question not too long ago on Labor Day weekend. I don’t usually take part in holiday sales. Not because…
If you struggle with perfectionism or an all-or-nothing mentality, check out my most recent note:
Throughout the week, I often post notes sharing encouragement, resources, and little lessons that the Lord has been teaching me in my own life, faith, work, and motherhood journey. I also plan on creating threads for us all to chat and connect during the week. However, you can only view them by creating your own Substack account. Click the button below to download the app and create your free Substack account.
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See 1 Corinthians 3:7
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