Do you have a dream in your heart?  A goal you’d like to reach?  A vision of something that seems so impossible?  Something you believe God wants you to do?  Things you need to succeed in life?  Write it down!

According to Zig Ziglar, who was an expert on goal setting and one of the nation’s most respected motivational speakers, only 3% of Americans actually take the time and effort necessary to put their goals to paper.  This is unfortunate because the number one reason for failure in life is the lack of clearly defined, written goals.

Why is this?  Because clarity is one of the most important steps to being successful.  You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in life when you are clear on your goals.

This isn’t something new to God.  He is the First motivator of written goals!  Habakkuk 2:2 states:  Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. (NKJV)

According to the Strong’s Concordance, the word “run” is a primitive root with one meaning being “bring hastily.”  Writing your vision down brings it more quickly into your life.  How do I know this?  My magic refrigerator.

No, my refrigerator isn’t really magic by any means.  Let me tell you the story.

Several years ago, Leland and I had needs and desires.  It seems we had so many needs and desires that we couldn’t really focus on much else.  We needed kitchen appliances, debt freedom, exercise equipment, new (and more current) computer, new bed, new dining room table, and new floors – just all sorts of things.

We’d talk about it.  We’d talk about what we needed.  We talked about what type floor we wanted.  We talked about debt freedom.  We talked to one another.  We talked to God.  We talked and talked and talked.

One day, we had heard a teaching from a minister we like about writing down goals.  He mentioned that it has been said that dreams not written down are just wishes!  He also mentioned that you can apply this to things you may need from God.

First we tried writing them down and putting them in a 3-ring binder.  Problem with that is we didn’t always remember to thumb through the binder to see what our goals were.  Too complicated.

Finally we got the idea to jot them down on a piece of paper then stick the list on the front of the fridge with a magnet.  Before you knew it, things began to happen.  Something on the list would become a reality!  Each time something manifested, we would mark it off the list by drawing a line through it.  One day, the list was totally finished.

It didn’t happen overnight yet before we posted it where we could see it, it didn’t seem to be happening at all!  I believe it is because we saw our list – put it before our eyes.  We would see it and say, “I believe I receive…..” (whatever it was we focused on that day).  We more easily attached our faith to it and believed it would come to pass.

This is now something we always do.  When we have a need, we keep an on-going list kept on the fridge where we can see it.  It isn’t that the refrigerator is magic – it is obeying God’s command to write things down.  When we have goals we want to reach (such as weight loss), we write down our ways to reach that goal.  Something just seems to happen when you put your dreams and goals on paper.

It’s been proven that people who write their dreams and goals are more successful than those who don’t. You must put pen to paper (or keyboard to screen although I believe hand-written goals stick with you better!). Don’t keep your dreams in your head.

Start making it a habit of writing down your goals, dreams and “visions” – pick up an inexpensive notebook from the Dollar Store and begin keeping a vision book.  Write it on a Post-It and stick it on your bathroom mirror. Or make a list and post in on your fridge.

Whatever works for you – just make sure you write it down – AND keep it before your eyes.