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3 Lessons from My Mission about Setting Goals
Focusing on effort, flexibility, and joy in the journey—not on numbers—can bring true happiness and success for you and those you serve.
I was terrible at setting goals growing up. I didn’t really understand the purpose. But I learned to set realistic and faithful goals while serving a mission in Dallas, Texas, USA. Since returning home in 2018, I’ve applied three valuable lessons about goal setting.
Lesson 1: Focus on Effort and Service
As a missionary, I set daily and weekly goals with my companion that focused on our missionary purposes. These goals started as numbers, but as I grew and understood more about why we set these goals, the numbers were replaced by names we prayed for individually.
The Lord values our efforts and wants us to serve others. Focus on putting in the effort and serving others in the process, and leave the results to the Lord. As King Limhi counseled his people, “Lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God” (Mosiah 7:19). Instead of setting a goal to read 50 verses a week, it might be more effective to set a goal to study the scriptures diligently each day, seeking to share insights with others.
Lesson 2: Embrace Flexibility and the Promptings of the Spirit
Many times on my mission, we set goals that depended not only on our efforts but also what others were willing to do. Chapter 8 of Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches about setting these types of goals: “Whether you reach [a certain] goal depends on other people’s agency. But do what is in your control to accomplish it.”
I learned to be flexible and follow the Spirit with both goals and everyday experiences. There were many days that we expected to meet certain goals—but things fell through. Each time, the Spirit helped guide us to new opportunities to fulfill our missionary purpose and help others. Unexpected situations arise, and the Spirit can guide you to alter your course in almost any situation.
Lesson 3: Find Joy in the Journey, Not Just the Destination
At the start of my mission, I knew missions were about growth and service, not about the number of baptisms. But I internalized this only after I learned to be happy when I was working toward a goal, instead of just when I achieved that goal. Goals shouldn’t just bring satisfaction at the finish line; the journey to achieve goals should also bring joy and purpose.
An example of this kind of goal would be seeking to develop Christlike character through daily acts of service. You could find fulfillment in the impact to others, not just in checking off your “service hours” box. I learned this while serving the people of Texas on my mission.
The Lord desires that we “be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27; see also verses 26–29). These lessons have helped me understand how to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause” through setting and achieving goals.