“Fulfilling My Duty to God,” New Era, Sept. 2011

Fulfilling My Duty to God

At every age, in every Aaronic Priesthood office, Duty to God helps a young man chart his growth by setting goals in specific areas. This section gives you some examples and principles to follow as you set and carry out your own goals for becoming the kind of priesthood holder the Lord expects you to be.

How to Set Goals

As you do the activities suggested in the Fulfilling My Duty to God booklet, you will be more successful if you make specific plans and goals. Here are some tips for effective goal setting and planning.

Remember your purpose. The activities you are planning should “help you develop spiritual attributes and become the kind of priesthood holder Heavenly Father wants you to be” (Duty to God, 8).
Follow the Spirit. Pray before you plan, and pay attention to promptings while you plan.
Plan to plan. Regularly set aside a specific time to make your plans and goals.
Stretch yourself. Set goals that will challenge you and make you grow. You can do great things if you plan to do them.
Be specific. Goals should have specific time periods, requirements, definitions of success, and so on. You can think big while planning small.
Write it down. “Learn to write your goals down. I would even put them in a prominent place—on your mirror or on the refrigerator door” (M. Russell Ballard, “Go for It,” New Era, Mar. 2004, 4).
Get good advice. Share your plans and goals with your parents and leaders. They can support and help you.
Measure your progress. Set daily and weekly goals that you can measure so that you can track your progress toward your main goal. As appropriate, share your progress with your quorum, parents, and leaders.

When you plan and set goals related to Duty to God, you are showing your faith and the seriousness of your desire to succeed. President Thomas S. Monson has said, “It is necessary to prepare, to plan, so that we don’t fritter away our lives. Without a goal, there can be no real success. … Wishing will not replace thorough preparation to meet the trials of life. Preparation is hard work but absolutely essential for our progress” (“Three Gates Only You Can Open,” New Era, Aug. 2008, 2, 4).

Photographs by Craig Dimond, Robert Casey, and John Luke

Photographs by Robert Casey, Getty Images, and Matt Reier

Photographs by Robert Casey, John Luke, Marilyn Erd, and David William Newman

Photographs by Laureni Fochetto and Emily Web; illustrations by Scott Greer