When You Get To Your Goals--What's Next?

After tossing and turning last night, I resorted to perusing my iPad. Waiting in my email box was a weekly installment from "In the Studio with Redbeard," containing an interview with the classic rock band Kansas and their thoughts on the 35th anniversary of their mega-successful record, "Point of Know Return."

Kerry Livgren--co-founder, principle songwriter, lead guitarist and former member of Kansas--remembered the road to fame in an audio portion from the "In the Studio" website. When asked about the rise to success after the band's beginnings in Topeka, Kansas, Livgren said,

"You know, success is harder to live with than the road getting to it, I thought. We lived in some amazing poverty, and we had a really rough road--and people thought we were making all this money…All of a sudden that changed, rather abruptly and dramatically. All of a sudden we had everything we ever wanted just tossed in our lap. You know you've had this pie-in-the-sky dream for like ten years and all of a sudden here you are--you got it! What do you do next? You know, that's a hard thing to deal with in your life--it really is--'cause when you've got a direction, that's great. But when you get to the destination, you no longer have a direction, you're there--and that's real tough."

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the Global Leadership Summit at the Franklin campus of The People's Church, an annual simulcast from the Chicago-area Willow Creek Association. So many excellent speakers took the stage over the two-day conference. My favorite was Patrick Lencioni's session (apparently, he is the favorite of most everyone, according to answers to exit questionnaires). He said that every organization must ask themselves six critical questions--and I believe we as individuals must do the same,

"Why do we exist? How do we behave? What can we actually do? How do we succeed? What is most important in our organization right now? Who must do what?"

If we continually answer these questions as individuals, and live our lives in response, then our goals are always alive. I would restate these questions as a continual goal-setting activity as follows:

1. Why do I exist? (To life for and bring glory to God).
2. How do I behave? (Purpose to live out the life-principles found in the Word of God--the Bible).
3. What can I actually do? (Seek God's purposes for my life in light of my particular gifts, talents and passion).
4. How do I succeed? (Create specific, attainable and measurable goals in light of the preceding three directives).
5, What is most important in my life now? (The ever-present values of God and family first never change, but with life seasons, always adjust to the immanent priorities in life while setting boundaries to protect myself from the "tyranny of the urgent").
6. What must I do? (In the same light of directive number five, I must learn that there is only so much I myself can accomplish; there maybe others more suitable to do certain things. Understanding our limitations may dictate what the "next" will be. I must work alongside others to attain my goals).

I want to continually grow and set new, fresh goals. It's a sad day for some who feel they've already hit their glory days. Not me--I'm still rockin'!