In the film Are We Done Yet – led by a great cast, including Ice Cube and Nia Long – there is a superbly choreographed scene where Ice Cube’s character sets aside an early morning start, in order to get something done.

He has his coffee, his computer, his idea. He has his ‘moment’. He even got up really early to ensure he wouldn’t be disturbed.

Until he was.

He had a deadline he needed to make or lose money. He just needed to get done, what he needed to get done!

I’m currently writing a book on the first twelve months of my radio station, launched in September 2023. I’ve worked really hard and, just like Ice Cube’s character, I have been setting aside regular times to write as much as I can.

My deadline, similarly, can not be changed – the original idea was to launch the book to mark our one year celebrations. Whether we do is out of my hands at this point. It always was!

The problem is that, however much time I set aside, life throws curve balls which make that 1st September launch date uncertain.

And, while we’re on the subject, I did not expect to have to relive some of the more traumatic moments of those 12 months with such intimacy!

Like crying, for example – at my desk – as I recounted being stranded in the middle lane of a live Motorway, with cars whizzing by me at 50 Miles Per Hour, when my engine cut out at the worst possible moment.

There have been some really positive moments of reflection too. But they didn’t slow me down as much as reliving the bad ones. Or the heart surgery I had a couple of months later.

Regardless of what has happened, I am pressing on towards that original launch date. Maybe I’ll make the original deadline. Maybe I won’t. Either way, I’m pressing on regardless.

What about you?

Do you set goals and try and stick to them?

The acronym SMART refers to setting goals which are

• Smart
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timebound

While a great approach, it is not helpful if you have a faith in Jesus Christ. For Christians, it is really rather a redundant approach to working out what you should be doing in, through, and with your life.

It’s healthy to work out if you can finish what you start. Absolutely! But if we’d looked at launching a brand new radio station, using this acronym, we would have never begun. Because the challenge before us was far greater than any of us.

So, why did we start it anyway? Obedience! We believed God asked us to do it, so we did.

And, coming back to you, are you willing to start only what you can see yourself accomplishing? Or are you willing to just keep taking baby steps until you get there?

Keep on taking those shuffling, baby steps towards God, and you’re guaranteed to make it.