You Must Write Your Goals Down

This simple action altered the trajectory of my life.

After my 24th birthday, my co-worker gave me the perfect gift - a journal.

She noticed that I had been struggling with my mental health due to how she saw me continually show up at work.

I never journaled up to this point. But when I received that gift, I thought that it would be my start.

“Thought” is the key word. For weeks, I couldn’t seem to write anything down.

Then, one day everything changed.

I decided to write down my answer to, “What do I want my life to be?”

And here’s what I wrote:

While I was overweight at 217 pounds, depressed, and suicidal, I still wrote down what my ideal life would be.

During the depths of my despair, I had slight hope that my life could get better.

In 2025, God has blessed me in more ways than I could ever imagine.

The craziest part is that my the #1 thing I hoped my life would have is the centerpiece to The John 5 Movement.

God knew what He was doing when He had me go through those dark moments. He was preparing me for what was to come.

During dark moments, the devil’s voice can be the loudest.

We must remember that God always has the final say. Trust in His plan.

“Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7

This verse is a perfect reminder that oftentimes we won’t know why we are going through challenging moments but in due time, God will reveal.

It’s our job to keep going and seek how we can to turn our pain into purpose for His glory.

Verses to Reflect on His Promises:

God has a purpose for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

God is not the author of confusion. ( 1 Corinthians 14:33) 

What God starts, He will finish. (Philippians 1:6) 

**These are all paraphrased because I hope this encourages you to now open your Bible or your Bible app to read the full verse. **

Reflection Questions

1) What 10 things does your ideal life include?

2) Which things do you still aspire to have?

3) What is preventing you from obtaining them?

4) What is one action this week that can get you one step closer to your ideal life?

5) How can The John 5 Movement help you get closer to your ideal life? Any services or offerings that would be most helpful?

Bonus Points: Reply to this email with your answer to #5.