That pic doesn’t look like much of a goal—the Motel 6 in Dillon MT. The spacious but sparse room had a good bed and an acceptable shower. But it had a larger meaning: I challenged myself and pushed my limits, and survived. Earlier we explored my Iron Butt attempt to ride over 1,000 miles on a bike in one day at age 70 (May 18 and June 15) but let’s keep a wise perspective and learn to not allow small goals to get in the way of bigger ones.
Yes, I had ridden the same number of hours in one day the year before. Yes, I had a bike ideally suited for 1,080 miles in one day. Yes, I planned out the route in detail, leaving room for the unexpected. Yes, the unexpected occurred, multiple times. And yes, I promised my wife I wouldn’t push so hard it risked my life and health. How stupid to cover 980 miles, fall short of 1,000, and to die from falling asleep or driving too fast. I kept the big picture in mind: survival. I wanted to sleep in the Motel 6 room, not on a coroner’s slab.
So, arriving safely trumped not arriving. Period. I may be a bit crazy, but I try to avoid stupid. One way to do that is to distinguish between terminal goals and instrumental goals. Terminal values refer to life values, where we want to end up. Instrumental goals are steps along the way that help us reach our terminal ones. For me, knowing God is terminal. To stand before him with a smile on his face: “Good job Tim, you served me and the kingdom.”
For me to do that, I must do my best. To push myself. To attempt new challenges. One test was the Iron Butt run, an instrumental goal. Could I plan it well enough? Could I carry it out? But that instrumental goal was less important than surviving and continuing to serve God. Does that make sense? Instrumental goals must be evaluated on will they help or hinder our terminal goals? Attempting the Iron Butt would help. Stupidly pushing would not.
So, for all of us, we really need to think ahead: what are our terminal goals? For followers of Jesus, that should be pretty clear. To know Jesus as Savior and Lord (John 17:3) and to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to actively love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:26-40). For those who don’t follow Jesus, it’s up to you, subjectively. Just think: what is worth giving your life too?
Kick Starting the Application
Have you chosen a terminal goal for your life? If not, do you have a sense of purpose, or just existence? What do you think God would want for you? If you do have one, do you regularly evaluate your instrumental goals for how effectively they help reach your terminal? What changes in both terminal and instrumental might be helpful?