I was thinking this morning about my business goals.  It’s easy to say you want to make “x” amount of money or accumulate “y” number of new clients in the next quarter.  However, many times there’s more behind those things than meets the eye.  A person’s goal motives are found in the motivation for those statements.

Not long after Pepper and I got married, we found ourselves listening to a classic Amway presentation.  The poor guy fishing for new down-liners was asking the room to dream.  Dream big.  What car would you drive if money weren’t the issue?  What neighborhood would you live in?  How would you feel about yourself?  Would you feel accomplished and successful?  This is a great tactic.  This guy knew that just earning money wouldn’t draw you into his web.  He would need to create in you a desire for something more.  What would you find worth working tirelessly?  He was searching for your goal motives.

This experience popped into my mind during my goal overview session this morning and I found myself thinking of what my goal motives are.  Money alone is not enough to drive me to succeed.  It won’t keep me striving to grow.  I would eventually hit a comfort level and ease off.  I needed to find my goal motives.  What are my aspirations that the growth of my company can help me meet.  For many people, it’s a boat to make memories on the lake.  Or, a pool in the back yard to relax and enoy with your spouse.  Maybe for you it might be that BMW which you always related to success when you were young in your career.  I began to get worried because I don’t see those things really driving me.

I drive a great 5 year Saturn with no major problems.  My wife drives a 13 year old car that runs fine most of the time.  We’ve given away newer cars than we drive now.  When our cars die, we’ll likely shop for the best deal on another used car to drive until it dies.  My home sports plenty of room for my family.  My kids have thier own room to sleep and play while still being small enough to bring them into the main area of the house with the rest of the family.  Heck, I even have a garage to park my car in.  Thats right.  My car has a house that’s nicer than the homes most families in the world live in.  I live in a country with infrastructure that allows my trash to be hauled off for me.  Clean healthy water comes into my home with the twist of a wrist.  A store less than 1/4 mile from my home is stocked with food and clothing that I can earn money to buy.

What more could I ask for?  And, since this is how I feel about these things, what will drive me to accomplish more?

Here it is…  I want to give.  I want to give big.  I want to reach my professional and financial goals so that I may be a funnel for God’s provision to flow through me into the hands of people who need it.  When I see a single mother in need, I want to be able to do something about it.  When I hear of the child who has warm water for dinner because it will help their empty little belly feel full, I want to be able to do something about it.  I want to help a family be able to afford sending their child someplace safe after school instead of being unsupervised at home.

These are the things that drive me.  These are the type of things that make up my Goal Motives.  What are your goal motives?