Genesis and 5 thoughts for goal setting

The Bible leads off with "In the beginning". For a moment, let us take Christianity and Judaism out of the equation. Even the staunchest of Atheists would have to recognize that the Bible, in one form or another, has been around a long time. The Bible's longevity defies understanding as so many other things such as cultures, empires and ways of life have come and gone. There have been billions of copies throughout the ages and this all time best seller started with those 3 simple words.

The beginning of the Bible describes the formation stage of our earth and our universe. God's plans and actions are spelled out and defined. Creation. Wow, that one word carries a lot of weight.

Daily, we go about our lives creating things in our little worlds. Think of the the catch phrases and cliches that revolve around creation. Are you creating new opportunities or are you creating a new product? Maybe you are exercising in the creative arts or praising a new favorite artist for their creativity. Football season is coming and we will hear about how Tim Tebow can create quickly on his feet when 11 guys are trying to catch him. I am sitting here in the dark at 5:30am trying to create a blog that has more than eleven subscribers. (I'm just saying. I suppose that is 77 in dog subscribers, huh?)

Now that we have determined that creation lives all around us, we must look at goal setting. I remember in the 1980s when meetings were held all the time about everything. Guru after guru peddled their "creative" approach to goal setting. Hour after hour were spent reading books, listening to tapes or attending lectures where we all wore "Hi, my name is ___". Each expert put their spin on the topic of goal setting. Many of these gurus are still around and even more are no longer relevant. I guess they did not apply their goal setting to long term goals. And, there is one thing still alive and kicking-The BIBLE.

The way I see it, the wheel does not need invented. Why don't we use what we can find just about anywhere to help us how to set goals for creating something? Hey, if the plan worked for creating the world, surely we can apply it to starting a small business or creating a great meal. Here are 5 lessons we can use and apply from Genesis 1.

1. GET busy! Genesis 1:1 says that God created the heavens and the earth. There were no warm up verses and it does not say that God procrastinated and got started the next morning after a good nights sleep. It does not say that God waited as He analyzed the next step. God got busy. He created. By using the word "created" God took action. So many times, we have great intentions but we NEVER DO ANYTHING. Action produces results. Great intentions create NOTHING. Oh I know, I do not like making mistakes either and if I just make sure everything is just right, then success will follow.

2. Be realistic. God did not make the world and universe in one day. I have no idea why he did not but can make at least one solid argument. The Bible teaches us how to handle life. The Bible answers many questions and can be applied to an endless number of situations. By creating everything in a number of days, God teaches us that creating ANYTHING special takes time. But, what does taking time show us? It shows us the meaning of persistence, consistency in effort, and it allows us to ask God for guidance because He, too, has built things over time.

3. Have a plan. Ah, this takes me back to the "Guru Days of Old". It was Stephen Covey who wrote "Begin with the end in mind." Although we do not have access to God's business plan or blueprint for the creation of EVERYTHING, it makes sense to me that He had a plan. Man was not made first. If he would have created man first, then secondly he would have had to create a life jacket so the oceans could be created. We have ideas and strive to create. Maybe you want to create the dream life. If you do, how do you see the ending?

4. Evaluate your work as you go. After God created light, He was pleased.Now go read that first chapter of Genesis and you will see for yourself that after God created, He evaluated His work. Take time to look at what you are making and creating. Do this as you go so that you can make changes and adaptations to your creation. Life does not offer us many "re do" situations. We cannot just jump in and make a mess of something so that we can start all over again. I know, some people seem to do this over and over, but life is way too short.

5. Rest. Seriously, God took a day off. True, it was His LAST day off, but once man was created and acted a fool, God has no one else to mind the store. Again, the Bible TEACHES us here as God does not need a day off, but He knows we do. I have been guilty of overlooking this. In my work past, 2 days off from one job gave me the opportunity to work another job. I did this so I could pursue the American Dream but ended up with a long chapter of my life that had nightmarish consequences. I guess that is why God created light first, so we could see where we are going if we open our eyes.

I have given you a brief little lesson on goal setting. Please take off your "Hello, my name is ___" sticker.For those of you who did that, seek help. I will not be holding an 8 hour seminar on Genesis Goal Setting...oh, but wait, maybe I will. Then I could sell tapes and books. I must go on line and order a bunch of name tags.