Over the years, my wife and I developed a habit of getting away the day after Thanksgiving to map out our goals for the upcoming year. For us, it’s a perfect time to think strategically about the future having just given thanks for the past.

But a few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I discovered something lacking—my enthusiasm. I knew I hadn’t done well on the 22 goals that I set for the year and, like a child that just failed an exam, I had little interest in knowing why. I felt defeated.

With so many goals, I knew my approach was fundamentally flawed. But I had no idea how flawed until I heard a message from my good friend, Pastor Roger Thompson. To this day, I don’t remember what he spoke about (sorry Roger), but I do remember him making an aside observation that men deal with three issues in their lives: failure, fear, and fatigue. His insight unlocked a door for me. I knew those feelings—22 times over.

What transpired from that breakthrough was a new approach to goal setting. One that, I think, is more biblically-based than many of the corporate goal setting workshops you and I have attended.

If you’re in need of a fresh and courageous approach to goal setting,  I invite you to discover what I learned at the next Year of Living Courageously workshop (website) at Cross of Glory Church in Hopkins, MN on February 25th.  Plan to come now because a year is a terrible thing to waste.

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I guess I’m just a hopeless optimist. Ever since we moved into our neighborhood I’ve bought candy to hand out to the kids on Halloween. But no one ever comes. Not one kid in twenty-three years.

I can’t really blame them, though. We live at the end of a 200 foot driveway lined with trees and shrubs. Docile by day, these guardians of the driveway turn into an ominous force at night, especially through the eyeholes of a Batman or Spiderman mask. Truth be told, there are times when I’d rather not wander down my driveway at night either! Indeed, it takes the courage of a real Batman or Spiderman to seek a treat from the Gates’ household.

If only these wanna be superheroes in my neighborhood knew what awaited them at the end of that darkened trail. If just ONE brave soul had mustered up the courage to call on our house, they would have been showered with so much candy they’d be in sugar nirvana. And since I was alone this last Halloween evening, I would have thrown caution to the wind and given them the whole ten pound bag. (Better they eat it than me.)

Pursuing our dreams is like that too. Many of us stay in the comfort and safety of bright lights and well worn paths. We’d rather run up to the door behind others, receiving a metered out portion, while just a short distance away, a treasure awaits, untouched. Jesus told His followers that they should choose the narrow gate, because “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

No worthwhile pursuit is on the easy path. To find it, you must don your superhero courage and trek into the scary unknown. And when you do, you’ll find God there delighted that you came to receive His extravagant blessing.

What courageous next step do you need take to pursue your dream?

[If you're ready to turn down the road toward your dream, why not join us at the next Dream Intensive on December 2nd? Readers of this blog can receive a discount, simply by asking.]

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For years I’ve been meeting with people just like you. They know there’s a lot more potential in their tank than they’re currently releasing; and it bothers them. They know something is holding them back. Fear? Lack of a plan? Little encouragement from others? Maybe all of these.

I designed the Dream Intensive to tackle these issues head-on. It’s a highly creative and interactive exploratory of the dream God’s planted in your heart. It will help you create greater clarity of your dream and how to pursue it—even if you’re not aware that you have one. This is the workshop that I want to go to for my own dream. Because it’s highly participative, the enrollment is limited to 20 people, Christian adult men and women, who want to experience breakthrough in their life.

If that sounds appealing to you, I invite you to visit the Dream Intensive website at www.dreamintensive.com to learn more.

I hope to see you on October 14th at the Dream Intensive.

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Near the end of last year I took some time away for a few days to recuperate, reflect on 2010, and plan for 2011. As I evaluated several areas that were important to me, I was disturbed by one discovery in particular. I hadn’t read as many books last year as I thought I had. At one point in my life, I was reading a book a week. I was far, far from that pace now and the erosion of that discipline disturbed me. Regular reading serves as an important levee against other less productive uses of my time, particularly watching television.

Recently, over lunch with a friend, I mentioned my disappointment in this area. He suggested a very simple idea: clear a bookshelf and put the completed books on it. At first it struck me as a little inane, then I realized the powerful concept behind this simple suggestion. It’s an in-your-face progress meter and it was precisely what I needed. I tend to put completed books back on my already over jammed shelves, making them indistinguishable from those yet untouched. No wonder I had lost momentum. A cleared shelf begs to be filled and I had nothing begging for my attention. Keeping a list of completed books in my journal was just not visible enough for me.

So, I’m taking him up on his idea and I invite you to join me. By this time next year, I’ll post a picture of my hopefully brimming shelf of books I’ve read this year. If you’re not reading as much as you’d like either, clear a shelf with me. And, if you want to join me on this journey I’ll add a picture of your shelf as collage along with others I receive. Just let me know by commenting below and I’ll send you an email at the end of the year requesting a picture. Until then, happy reading!

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Are you easily distracted? By definition, a distraction is something that takes you away from what you intended to do. Our world is filled with sources of distraction, all vying for your attention. Advertisers and merchants want us to heed their latest offers. Entertainment devices — televisions, computers, iPods, and the like — relentlessly dispense sensory fodder. We cannot escape them. We even take them with us on our mobile phones.

Yet, as pervasive as those distractions are, a more insidious form lurks about — the distraction of comfort. Face it, we all want to be carefree, pain-free and work-free. When the pursuit of comfort, however, trumps the pursuit of a more worthy goal, it’s a distraction. Jesus had friends, even among the Pharisees, who offered some distracting advice. “Flee to safety, your life is in danger” (Luke 13:31), they told Him. But even a threat to His life would not distract Jesus from His most worthy goal. “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day,” He replied. The next time you find yourself tempted to distraction by devices or detractors, make it your resolve to keep going today and tomorrow and the next day.

Your thoughts? What are some of the most common forms of distractions in your life?

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A couple of years ago, I launched The Year of Living Courageously workshop, after discovering and applying some biblical principles that rocked my approach to personal goal setting. (You can read about that journey here.) Having a YLC plan and two other guys to meet with regularly about it has helped me keep my focus and energy on some pretty courageous goals. But it also takes more than a plan to live intentionally, so I’ve also added four habits of thought to my daily routine. These habits — choices really — form what I call the Four Pillars of Intentional Living, and I’m eager to share them with you.

On September 17-18th, I’ll be presenting a new workshop, the Intentional Man Workshop, that combines the Four Pillars with an extended, more hands-on, edition of the Year of Living Courageously workshop. It’s an intensely practical application of biblical principles applied to your personal development and goal setting. I invite you to visit the workshop website at IntentionalMan.com and join me and the men of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Virginia, Minnesota for the inaugural offering.

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The Pharisees and Jesus were almost like oil and water. You don’t have to read the Gospels for long to pick up on the tension between the Son of God and those belonging to the highly legalistic religious order of His day. Jesus described them as hypocrites, vipers and whitewashed tombs (Mark 7:5-6, Matt 12:34, Matt 23:27) and pronounced their self-acclaimed righteousness as below minimum standards (Matt 5:20). Despite the growing acrimony the Pharisees had toward Jesus, at one point some of them came to Him out of concern for His well-being. As Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem, they informed Him that the evil tetrarch Herod Antipas had issued a death threat against Him and suggested that He flee to another place (Luke 13:31).

When even your enemies start to look out after your welfare, you know your challenges have escalated to a new level. “Go tell that fox,” Jesus responded, “‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” (Luke 13:32-33). This was more than just obstinance on Jesus’ part. It was determination. The difference is in the worthiness of the goal. And, thankfully, our eternal life was of such paramount worth to Jesus, it kept Him on track, right up to Calvary.

Your thoughts? When it gets so bad that everyone around you agrees it’s time to quit, is your goal worthy enough to say, “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day?”

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If you’re a pastor in the Twin Cities area, you won’t want to miss out on a very unique opportunity for some serious goal setting. On Thursday, May 13th, I will be conducting, for the first time, a pastors-only version of the highly-regarded Year of Living Courageously workshop.

The Year of Living Courageously workshop is a thoroughly biblical approach to goal setting. I’ve taught it numerous times over the last several years to Christian men in the marketplace. Now, for the first time, I’ll be leading professional clergy through a more intense and extended version.

Why a version just for clergy? Think about it. Most men in the marketplace have a community of other like-minded men with whom they can confide in, explore, and seek support for their God-given aspirations—the men in their church. Unfortunately, that same opportunity doesn’t exist for most pastors. From my discussions with numerous pastors, they often feel uncomfortable sharing openly about their fears, failures and fatigues—the very threats all of us face in the pursuit of courageous goals. As a result, many church leaders find themselves isolated from the very support structure that others in their congregation enjoy.

The Year of Living Courageously: Pastor’s Edition is designed to address that need. Pastors will be provided a unique “sandbox” in which they can explore some of their dreams in the context of a non-threatening community—other like-minded peers. If you’re a pastor longing for a structure and support system for pursuing your goals, the Year of Living Courageous: Pastor’s Edition is just for you. If you’re a lay-person, but want to show your support, let your pastor know about this unique workshop.

The Year of Living Courageously: Pastor’s Edition workshop will be held at Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, MN on May 13th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $65 and includes a lunch and program materials. For more information, testimonies, videos, and to register, visit www.livecourageously.com

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Earlier this week, Cameron Douglas, 31 year-old son of Academy Award winning actor Michael Douglas, was sentenced to a 5-year prison term on charges of dealing large quantities of drugs (read story). Offering what he said “may well be his last chance to make it,” the U.S. District Judge in the case handed Cameron what is considered to be a lenient sentence. In his appeal to the court, Cameron, an abuser of drugs since he was 13, remarked, ”I squandered a lot of [opportunities for recovery]. If I should be so fortunate as to have another chance, I will never squander that opportunity.”

As I read this tragic story, I couldn’t help but think about how much talent went unnurtured in his escape to drugs. Addictions of any kind rob the addicted of so much potential. Ever so quietly, so also does living unintentionally. Without worthy goals and the self-discipline to work toward them, I will squander the opportunities I have to nurture my talents. Every day I have a choice to make between merely desiring a change and working toward it. The difference is self-discipline. “The problem with self-discipline,” as my friend and co-teacher, Roger Thompson, points out, “is that not doing it is instantly rewarded.” But like drug use, it’s a hollow reward.

Your thoughts? Are there some time-wasting habits that are squandering your opportunities?

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