Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. PSALM 90:12 NIV 

Maybe you’re one of those people who’s announced that you want to climb Mount Everest before you die. Kudos to you! I don’t want to burst your bubble, but when I think of those I know who’ve lived into their eighties and nineties, not one of them was going to climb four flights of stairs, let alone Mount Everest. If you don’t get specific about when you’ll achieve your goal, you’re less likely to succeed. 

Physical decline aside, research shows that those who make goals that are time-bound are 40 percent more likely than their peers to succeed!   

That’s big, right? So use it to your advantage. I’m encouraging you to put a timeline on your goals. Choose one or two that you can achieve in the next ninety days. And if you’re really committed to Mount Everest? Put a date on that goal. Whether it’s that you’ll make plane reservations in thirty days or you’ll execute the hike in twenty-four months, you’ll be most likely to succeed if you set a schedule to achieve your goal. 

Mount Everest was big, right? Don’t be intimidated by that beast. Maybe you want to watch a sunset at the beach. Or replace a lightbulb in the basement. Offer some goals—from baby lightbulb ones to big beach ones—and put a time frame beside each one. 

God, You are the One who has numbered my days.  Teach me to be wise with the ones You’ve given me!  Guide me as I chart the way forward to achieve the goals You’ve put in my heart. Amen.