How to Maintain Momentum When the Finish Line is Still a Long Way Off...

Sometimes, our goals take longer to accomplish than we think they will... or the day to day reality of accomplishing them doesn't end up being quite as inspiring as we first thought. Perhaps you are finding yourself part way through a project or goal, which just feels as though either it's never going to happen, or your 'want to' is going to run out before you get to the finish line. You might have planned to drop two dress sizes, but months into the journey you are still struggling to drop the first one. You may have set yourself a goal to build your business to a certain level of revenue, but you're nowhere near what you hoped to be making at this point. If you're feeling tired, discouraged, struggling to find motivation, or are even bored, and you don't know how you'll hold on until the end of this thing, this blog is for you.

The first thing I want to say to you is that you are doing an awesome job!!! You may feel you've failed at the timeframes of your goals, but the fact is, you're still in the game! A few months into the year, most people aren't struggling with how to maintain momentum and continue towards the completion of their goals. Most people have totally thrown in the towel and given up! They've just gone back to the cycle of survival and doing life until the next 'New Years Resolution' time comes around, where they'll try to convince themselves they really do want to change. Most people are just not willing to keep moving forward despite the challenges, until they see the completion of what is in their hearts to do. YOU ARE, or you wouldn't be reading this. So give yourself some grace, and look at what you HAVE done, not what you haven't. You're still in the game and you still genuinely want to change - that puts you WAY ahead of the field!

So then, how do we finish the game so that we're there at the end, victorious in what we set out to accomplish? Here's some simple strategies to help you.

Don't Look at How Long it's Taking

Don't focus on how long it's taking! If you keep your eyes on how long it's taking, it will seem to take longer! Firstly, it means you're looking at what is not great rather than what is, and that's negative and life-draining to begin with. But we all know that the watched clock syndrome is real - it always seems to take longer when you're watching it. That applies to whether you're watching seconds, minutes, hours, days or months. It's not time itself but our experience of time that affects us. Also, while you're looking at the clock, you're NOT looking at where you are going, and that brings divided focus. Just refuse to do it anymore! When you stop looking at how long it's taking, you stop taking on the overwhelm of your disappointed expectations! This is the invisible load that Jesus died to free us from when He said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30). So instead, look at what inspires you, not condemns you.

Make Adjustments

If it's taking longer than you think, or not panning out how you had hoped, take the time to honestly assess what's actually going on and make any adjustments you need to. Ask yourself these questions and invite Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you (because sometimes we're too set in our own mindsets to really see what's going on):

- Was your goal from you or from God? Did He direct you to do it or did you just decide it was a good idea?

- Did you overestimate what you could accomplish in the timeframe you thought you could do it in?

Were your timeframes unrealistic?

- Is the goal simply bigger than you realised before you started?

- Are you actually working your plan, or is the reality a different story (ie are you actually exercising 5 times per week or is it in reality more like 2 - 3 times)? Is it time to measure what you are actually doing so that you can truthfully assess this?

- Are you working towards too many big goals at once and therefore not really focussed on one thing? Is divided attention destroying your effectiveness?

- Are you practically prepared for what you're trying to accomplish, or do you not really have the tools and resources in place that you need?

- Are your beliefs consistent with your goal, or are you carrying heart beliefs that are in opposition to your goal (ie feeling that you don't deserve to be wealthy or that it's wrong to make lots of money, yet trying to build a highly profitable business)?

When you discover what is potentially behind the hold up you are experiencing, deal with it, make the adjustment and move on. So what if it takes you three times as long as you anticipated to get to your ideal weight, create your online course or build up the investment fund you'd planned? These are valuable goals and they are worth the wait if that's what it takes to get them done. At the end of that timeframe, you're going to be so glad that you stuck with it and accomplished them!

Make it Enjoyable

Endurance has often been my training ground in life. I was thinking about how the Lord has trained me, over time, to be able to maintain momentum, and I've realised that the primary vehicle He's used to train me has been running. My initial thought was that perhaps the reason I could endure was because I kept my eyes on the prize of the end result... that I kept thinking about what getting to the finish line would feel like and what accomplishing my fitness goals would feel like. And there is a level of truth to that. But I realised what the real key was - that I actually learned to ENJOY running!

Yes I know, crazy! Plodding along for kilometres on end, with your heart bursting and your legs tired. How is it possible to enjoy that?!?! And not only step by step during the run, but run by run during the weeks and the months and the years? Yet I found that it certainly is possible, and it is the enjoyment of running that has helped me to endure even more so than looking towards the finish line.

You see, often we forget that our lives are not just a destination, but a journey. Now don't get me wrong, if we don't have vision we will perish in the midst of difficult situations, so we must know the destination. But equally important is this: We have to learn to have JOY in the journey. This is not a trade off. We need both. It is actually the joy of the Lord which God says is our strength (Neh 8:10). Life is not a series of destinations, but a continuous journey. It would be a shame for you to miss the joy and strength that God tried to give you as a gift in each day, because your eyes were so focussed on either how long it is taking or on the end result that you couldn't see what He was really offering you. So how do you learn to enjoy it? Take the James 1:2 challenge:

My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! James 1:2 (TPT)

How do you experience the greatest joy you can find in running? Run with a friend, get an ipod and play your favourite playlist, buy a new running outfit you love, reward yourself by doing something you love in combination with running (like going out for breakfast when you finish it), deeply take in and enjoy the scenery, or notice your body becoming more toned each week.

How do you enjoy building a business when it's not growing as quickly as you would like it to? Refuse to go into overwhelm mode, live life in balance now and do things you love to do, treat Holy Spirit as your daily business partner and talk to Him as you do everything and make every decision, go to work with a smile on your face, set smaller milestones and celebrate them with your family when they've been accomplished, make your working area beautiful and inspiring, or whatever you need to do in order to feel as though you enjoy it.

And of course the most obvious way to enjoy something is simply to change your mindset and your attitude. If your mind is set on the challenge of wringing out every ounce of joy you can each day, and if you see the goal you're working towards as a privilege and not a drag, you'll feel very differently about what you're doing. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 4:17), so if that is not your experience of your life, the problem is not 'out there', it's in your heart (Luke 17:21). To live in the Kingdom, your heart must LIVE in the Kingdom.

Rest and Nurture Your Heart

If it's all about work, work work, you will never be able to enjoy the journey, most of all because you must think that you're responsible for making it happen! If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, then it's up to you to seek Him for what to do and then to do it... but it's up to Him to bring the results. If all you're focussed on is accomplishing your goal, then I can guarantee you're trying to do His role as well as your own. And if you don't nurture yourself - and those you love - along the way while you do your part, you'll find the life sucked right out of you and you will likely burn out. You must nurture your heart so that it will be able to take you to where you need to go.

So it's important to::

1. Regularly do life-giving things which you enjoy, as part of your lifestyle.

2. Look after yourself physically, by getting enough sleep and eating well etc...

3. Break your goal down into smaller steps and then build in rest cycles. Each time you reach a milestone, give yourself some time off to celebrate the progress you've made and rest so that you can accomplish the next milestone with greater energy.

Remember Who You Are

When you feel as though you'll never make it, remind yourself of this truth: You are filled with the spirit of the 'It is finished' Jesus! It's not actually you who needs to maintain momentum, it's Him... just don't get in the way of Him doing it through you. If you believe you can... you can. If you believe His life is in you... His strength is in you... all things are possible to Him who believes.

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So today you get to choose how you move forward. Will you keep wearily looking at how long it's taking, or will you instead put these actions into place and maintain momentum through the strength of His joy in you? You really can enjoy the journey and keep going until you reach the finish line.

To make the most of your experience with this blog post, please download our 'Advance Your Life' Progress Sheet, to invite Holy Spirit to help you take what you've discovered in this blog, and apply it to your life to make permanent changes.

Be blessed as you journey with Him, into the wide-open, spacious life you were created for.