it's a really simple but effective
goal-setting technique which helped in
Google become Google and if you like I
think it can really help you grow in
relationship with God
[Music]
I am father Mark Mary with the
Franciscan friars of the renewal on this
is ascension presents I'm pumped I'm
super pumped about this video I've been
actually thinking about it probably
since we first began doing this vlog and
it's finally time we're gonna talk about
this really simple but effective
goal-setting technique we're gonna apply
it to the life of prayer and I think
it's going to if not blow your mind
really help you achieve some goals in
prayer and and I'm taking it from kind
of like repurposing it from a book I
read called measure what matters and
it's written by this guy named John
Dewar like a little disclaimer like if
you pick up the book you'll see not
everyone who's using this is using it
for the building up of the kingdom of
God but we 100% can so what I'm gonna do
is this is I'm gonna apply this to a
plan or a goal of Prayer for 2020 and
then break it down so I propose a really
strong achievable but challenging goal
for that we can all strive for is
getting 40 minutes of prayer a day if
you're starting out and you're not even
praying at all like that might seem huge
and it might seem like okay like you
haven't exercised in whatever in 18
months it's like okay we want to get to
a place where we're able to run three
miles three times a week
that that at first will seem like a
crazy big goal but if we if we work at
it and we grow incrementally and slowly
we're 100% able to achieve that goal
and I think 40 minutes is strong and
totally achievable because you can
totally carve out two 20 minute periods
of prayer 20 minute couple 10 minute
periods of Prayer I got guy you can do
it you can do it so so what I'm gonna do
is this is I've broken it down into sort
of incremental goals or steps for the
first three months second three months
the third quarter and then finally the
final quarter so goal number one this is
where I have is goal number one develop
develop a taste for prayer so that so
the clear the clear goal is this like
okay 40 minutes of prayer by the by by
January 2021
day okay so first first the first stage
first three months we're trying to
develop a taste for prayer so the way to
do that number one is going to be we're
gonna get twenty minutes of prayer or
day and we're gonna break that up into
two ten minute periods of Prayer right
so maybe an extra ten minutes in the
morning when you first wake up maybe an
extra 10 minutes first thing when you
get home before you turn on the TV get
out the laptop the cell phone whatever
it is maybe ten minutes before you go to
bed there is I don't think maybe I'm
wrong and maybe you have an extreme case
I don't think there's any excuse why you
can't get in to ten minute minute
periods of Prayer okay so two to ten
minute period of Prayer twenty minutes
toll every day each week you're gonna
make one visit one extra visit to the
Blessed Sacrament and you can actually
do that by just getting to Mass early or
you can get in your car or walk take the
train bus whatever it is and just kind
of get this taste for being and praying
in the church and then thirdly thirdly
you're gonna start doing an examine an
examination of conscience just once a
week at least once a week and the idea
is this at the minimum during that
examine you're looking back at at
whatever you wanted to say Sunday
through Saturday and you're seeing okay
how did I do with the chief in these
goals and now again you're sharing this
with somebody else there's the certain
level of accountability and so each week
okay I did whatever I hit my prayer goal
five out of seven times I didn't make
the extra visit to the Blessed Sacrament
I got a couple minutes in earlier before
Mass I did my examine okay cool week one
not not an absolute success but steps in
the right direction and then you do this
for three months okay next next set so
this is going to be April to June and
what we're gonna do is this number one
we're gonna we're gonna have again
twenty minutes of prayer daily and for
the most part you can break it up but
here's step number two here's the little
addition for these next three months at
least twice at least twice in the week
you're gonna have this twenty minutes of
prayer together remember the first
quarter goes to ten minute periods now
at least twice a week you're going to be
twenty minutes a time
and again it's just kind of stretching
our capacity to be still and to be quiet
for an extended period of time but just
twice a week just twice a week you can
probably do this already number three
we're gonna make we're gonna try to make
two visits to the Blessed Sacrament
again one can be the before or after
mass staying for an extended period of
time and just maybe one extra time
during the week just kind of getting
this forming the habit again developing
and growing the taste for prayer in
front of the Blessed Sacrament chapel
and then the fourth goal which is going
to be consistent throughout the entire
year is at least one examination of
conscience per week and again you can do
this more or less you can do it less you
can do it more but at least once at
least once a week where you look back
reflect on your week how did I do
did I achieve the goals yes or no what
can making some adjustment so that we
can make sure we achieve them in the
future
boom second half of the year develop a
taste for silence here we go number one
at least 30 minutes of prayer each day
all right so now we're stepping it up at
least 30 minutes of prayer each day and
again you can do this now one 20 minute
period of prayer one 10-minute period of
prayer each day maybe three 10-minute
periods of prayer whatever it is 30
minutes a day you view but you're
stronger now you've developed the muscle
you start to develop and form the habit
number two three 10-minute periods of
Prayer with Scripture so now we're
bringing scripture into the prayer and
and really sort of enhancing and feeding
the prayer that way so three times at
least 10 minutes a day we're gonna spend
with Scripture
number three here you go pay attention
five ten-minute periods of prayer in
silence each week so in your 30 minutes
each day at least five times you're just
going to sit and not be reading anything
or not even really doing a devotional no
Divine Mercy chaplet no no Rosary for at
least at least 10 minutes five times and
when you have it all written out it
makes sense it's much easier to track
finally working we're continuing with
the weekly examine which is where we
reflect upon the week how we did discuss
it with another
share it with another it can be as
simple as doing like yeah I was great
five out of seven days I was great four
out of seven days six out of seven I
nailed all seven sweet
just a little sharing real quick reflect
on the past week and then prepare for
the next week and then finally is this
finally this we're coming in for a
landing we're hitting it strong for the
final quarter from October to December
here's what we're doing
form the habits of listening in prayer
we last last quarter was a taste
now we're gonna develop the habit of of
listening so number one forty minutes of
Prayer each day right so now we're doing
it now we're doing it you can break it
up how you like but we're getting forty
minutes of prayer each day including
twenty minutes of silent prayer daily so
maybe you know however you want to break
it up at least twenty minutes maybe say
you're doing 20 in the morning 20 in the
evening ten minutes in the morning ten
minutes in the evening is stillness and
quiet and just talking to God from from
your heart thirdly each week forty
minutes with Scripture you can break it
up however you like and number four at
least one exam in a week again we keep
the pattern of reflecting on how we're
doing looking for so that we can do
better and right it's what's incremental
it's very concrete it's very measurable
it's achievable but at a stretch
capacity and it's shareable it might
seem like super simple but the the
details matter the clarity is super
super important the fact that these are
trackable and in a certain sense
measurable our super super super
important and then the shareable part
don't underestimate how important it is
to share a quick sort of anecdote being
cold and up in the morning like early
are my least favorite things and I
remember the first time I visited the
Friars and had to be at the chapel at
6:00 a.m. and make all these huge life
sacrifices already to get to this point
and that first time 6:00 a.m. in Chapel
I was like
now I can't do this I'm out like my I
had like a vocation crisis everything
broke down because I had to be up early
and it was cold but look at me now
I'm in New York and I've been living it
for ten years and I just had this recent
experience where I was really kind of
like getting lakhs and how close I woke
up to that 6:00 a.m. prayer bell like
and I and I just know if I get up early
if I get up at 5:15 five o'clock and I
get that extra 30 minutes 45 minutes of
quiet like I'm gonna nail the day and so
what I did is I I reached out to a buddy
I was like here's the thing I'm not good
at early mornings and I'm not good at
the cold and I'm really not good at
doing these things on my own so I'm
gonna need you to join join me here's
what I'm gonna do for one month for 30
days I'm gonna wake up at 4:30 in the
morning and I'm gonna get some exercise
I'm gonna get some quiet and I'm gonna
have like a great start to my day I'm
gonna reset my will remind myself of
what I'm capable of and then and then go
forward from there
and I was trying this for months and
months and months on my own and I failed
and failed and failed but as soon as I
shared it with one person and I would
just every day I'd let him know I did it
boom 1 4 1 2 4 2 3 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 5 and
it was as simple as that I was able to
do it for the 30 days bringing somebody
into the situation is absolutely
important ok so I'm going to pray for 40
minutes I'm gonna try and pray for 40
minutes a day I'm gonna do that through
this incremental prayer routine and I
think it'll change your life
I think it'll change your life and I
think it'll bring you closer to God and
bring you closer to God it's gonna
change your family it's gonna change
your workplace it's gonna change the
world and that is what we need so much
my friends so I thank you for watching I
thank you for watching I thank you for
praying I thank you for listening and I
thank you for setting some goals with
the grace of the Holy Spirit and the
help of the church and achieving those
goals
remember we're pilgrims on this earth
poco a poco a little my little bump
Slager we're gonna make it thank you so
much and in conclusion just a little
continuation of the new shout out part
at the end my friends my dear
missionaries
at Christ in the city I love you I'm
praying for you hanging in there
keep getting after it keep loving the
poor hopefully I'll see you in a couple
months peace god bless y'all happy new
year