A Fresh Start Begins Now

April 11, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

It’s been a loooong winter! I’m ready for spring. How about you?

What do we love about spring? Spring is when the living things that seem to be dead show that they are alive. Light begins to overtake darkness as the days lengthen.

Easter and spring go together, don’t they? Easter reminds us that Jesus overcame sin by his crucifixion and defeated death by His resurrection.

Spring is when the world gets a fresh start. Easter reminds us that we can have a fresh start, too.

Where do you need a fresh start? What if this spring can bring new life to you?

When the calendar year turns, many of us are thinking of what we would like to change and how we want this year to be better than last year. We make promises to ourselves or to God about how we will change. Did you do that? Maybe you even made a list.

But as time passes, we often forget those promises, and we drift. Do you feel like you have drifted off-track? Are you where you hoped to be when you started the year? If you are, then kudos to you! How will you keep yourself on track? If not, what can you do now to re-evaluate and shift your attention so that you head where you want to go?

The God-centered goal-setting process I teach is a great tool for this. Ask, Aim, Act, Achieve.

Ask God. Aim toward what He says. Act on those goals. Achieve your goals and start again.

The beauty of a God-centered goal-setting process is that you can apply it at any time. Now is a perfect time to review, reflect, and restart.

Review your recent actions. Think back over the last few months. What have you accomplished? What tasks have taken the most of your time and attention? Ask God how He wants you to re-orient your priorities. What is important to Him? How does He want you to grow? Then draft one or two written goals that head in that direction.

Reflect on what made those actions important to you. It can be difficult to evaluate motivations. Thankfully, you don’t need to do that on your own. You have the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Ask Him to help you understand yourself. You don’t know what to change if you don’t know what caused the drift. Understanding what causes the drift helps you know what to avoid so you can stay on track. Understanding your motives, your why, helps you adjust it to a why that aligns with God’s purpose. Having a God-centered why helps you maintain your aim and act in a way that helps you achieve your God-centered goals.

Restart from this point forward toward the goal that is most important to God. You won’t know what is most important to Him if you don’t take the time to ask, but once you have done that, now is the time to begin. You don’t have to wait until the calendar year ends, or summer is in full bloom, or school starts. You may not fully reach your goal, but beginning now will help you make progress toward what is important to God. Isn’t that what is most important?

Ask. Aim. Act. Achieve. Today is the day to review, reflect, and restart. It isn’t too late to reclaim your year and become a new person by changing the way you think and act (Romans 12:1-2 NLT). Go for it! A fresh start begins NOW.

Key Question: What does it take to make a fresh start toward God-centered goals?

A Scripture to Consider: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

A YES Challenge: Set aside time this week to prayerfully reflect, review, and restart. Write down one or two God-centered goals that you want to focus on for the rest of the year.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for knowing me completely and loving me anyway. You know my weaknesses. You understand why I have drifted from what is most important to You. Forgive me. As I reflect, reveal my motivations. Help me make the necessary adjustments so I can make progress toward goals that are centered on You. My greatest desire is to live a life that pleases You. Amen.

Check out my book The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word for encouragement, inspiration, and more about God-centered goal-setting. Please leave a review on Amazon! That will help other people find the book and receive guidance and encouragement in their God-centered goal setting.

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

Goals, Rest, and Flourishing

March 21, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.” Psalms 37:7 NLT

What is it you most want to accomplish in the next month? You may have a bunch of ideas swirling around in your head in answer to that question. It may be to simply survive everything that is on your calendar already. But I want to ask you to focus on the thing that is most important to you. You might call it a hope or desire, but it is a goal all the same. Do you have a plan to accomplish that goal?

If you have made a plan on how to reach that goal, mental or concrete, have you factored rest into your plan?

“Rest?! How does rest figure into reaching a goal? I don’t have time to rest!”

That may be your answer. But consider something. Is God a part of that plan you’ve made? Remember that setting God-centered goals is about living a God-centered life. How does rest figure into that? How does rest lead to flourishing?

When God Guides Your Goals

March 14, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:2-3 ESV

Growing up, my dream was to be a famous performer. That made no sense because I was shy and hated being in front of people. I cried in front of my fourth-grade class because I was so afraid of simply reading something I had written.

As I grew, I began to step out and overcome fear. I became a lead actress in high school and college plays. I lived from one play to the next, striving after that dream. I was good enough to think that maybe I could make it in the theatre world. However, the goal of making a living wasn’t enough. I would watch the Oscars or Tony awards and imagine myself giving a winning acceptance speech. It’s a little embarrassing to admit. But I have a suspicion that I’m not the only one.

It wasn’t until I surrendered my life to Jesus that my dreams and goals began to change. The desire for the acclaim of the entertainment world faded, and my dream, my ultimate goal, transformed. My goal became to do the will of God, to please Him, and bring glory to His name.

That’s when I began to find peace, and the pressure to strive for acclaim started to disappear. I began to seek God to guide my goals. That’s when life truly became exciting and fulfilling.

What about you, my friend? What dreams still pursue you? Does peace elude you? Is your life fulfilling?

Why Rest Matters for Reaching Your Goals

March 7, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” Psalms 23:1 NLT

Rest matters. If you are not carving out time to take care of yourself, it is time to start. And I mean NOW! If you are like me, you wear multiple hats. Whether you are a mom, dad, pastor, CEO, or grocery store clerk, or all of the above, you function in more than one way. You serve others in a variety of ways, whether you recognize it or not. Every task you have on your never-ending to-do list serves someone. It could be your family, your company, or your church, but other people are reaping the benefits of your actions.

If you don’t take care of yourself, you have nothing to give anyone else. You will run out of energy and concentration. What are you doing to rest and replenish?

God initiated the Sabbath for His people after 400 years of slavery, working every day with no rest. He told the prophet Elijah, the disciples, and others in the Bible to come apart and rest. Why would He expect anything else for you and me?

So, why is rest important for fulfilling God’s purposes for you?

Rest results from following His guidance. When you and I are so busy trying to come up with a plan, we expend a ton of energy and, whether we recognize it or not, we operate with a measure of anxiety. Consciously or unconsciously, being unsure of what is next prevents us from truly resting and relaxing.

If you are a responsible person, and I know you are, you don’t want to be unproductive. You want to feel like you are making a difference. So, your brain is almost always busy because you feel responsible for outcomes. You feel like you have to figure everything out. But you don’t.

Because the Lord is your shepherd, He is prepared to guide you. He wants to guide you. He wants to take care of you. He’s got the plan and you don’t need to figure it out. That is rest. Knowing that He’s got the plan leads you to internal rest.

Rest leads to restoration. Restoration only happens in the place of rest. To be restored is to be brought back, returned to a place or condition. A woodworker cannot restore a table that is prepared for a family dinner. The dishes, food, and other items must be removed, and the family must dine somewhere else. Then the craftsman may begin his work.

While our house was being renovated, we lived with my sister for five months. Was that a place of rest? Maybe not so much for us, but it was for the house! The house had not been cared for and could not be a place of rest for us until its restoration was complete. Staying in the house would have prevented the contractor from doing the work. We had to remove ourselves so that restoration could happen.

We envisioned some simple, quick cleanups that would allow us to move in after a relatively short period of time. Our contractor envisioned a house that was completely new on the inside. It was inconvenient. It took longer than we wanted, but it was completely worth it. Because we “rested” from living in the house and the house “rested” from having people live in it, we have a beautiful home that provides us with a place of rest.

Where do you need to be restored? If you are busy doing, there is no room for restoration.

Rest leads to replenishment. When you rest, you are refilled. You end up with more to give. And if you make this a regular practice, you will have more than enough. Restoration leads to overflow. Overflow is what we give to others. When we have all we need and more, we have enough to share with the people we interact with.

If I don’t rest, I get grumpy and emotional. What about you? When I do rest, I become filled with peace, and that is what overflows to the people around me. I know peace is not my natural state. I may seem pretty even on the outside, but inside my mind is always busy. Learning to slow down and let my mind and spirit rest is what leads to an overflow of peace. I am still working on this. Believe me!

So, my friend, are you ready to stop trying to figure it all out and let Him lead you to rest? Do you long for the restoration that only happens in a time of rest? Do you need more? When you rest, you allow restoration to happen, and that leads to more progress on reaching your goals. You’ll also be able to better serve the people around you and knock out more of those to-do items. Isn’t that work planning some rest?

Key Question: Why is rest an important part of fulfilling God’s purpose for you?

A Scripture to Consider: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” Psalms 23:1 NLT

A YES Challenge: Honestly evaluate your self-care practices. Decide when and how you will rest and replenish yourself. Make that evaluation a weekly practice as you review your schedule.

Prayer: Father, I want to serve You, my family, and other people well. It’s easy for me to get focused on doing for others and forget that taking care of myself is not selfish. When I refresh and replenish myself, I can serve those around me from a full tank rather than an empty one. Show me how to do this intentionally. When I serve from a place of rest I honor You and that is my highest goal. Amen.

Where Perseverance Comes From

February 28, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”Hebrews 11:6 NIV

You’ve got goals. You may not call them goals. You may call them dreams or aspirations or desires, but you’ve got them. The difficulty with goals— or dreams or aspirations or desires — is that life often gets in the way of seeing them through. The storms of life arise, and you lose track of that destination because of the road conditions. You forget where you are going and get focused on just going. But does just going help you keep going?

How do you find the motivation to keep going through all the unavoidable challenges that life throws at you? Keep your goals centered in God and you will find it.

God-centered goals need God-centered motivation. God-centered motivation is found in God’s Word. Hope for the future grows as you spend time with God’s truth. Hope is an expectation that what you desire will happen. God-centered hope is found in a faith that God will do what He has said He will do.

I know that I don’t have that kind of hope in myself. But I find promises in the Word that build it in me. The motivation to keep going comes from faith that God will do so much more than I can ask, think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) I believe that He has begun a good work in me and will complete it. Philippians 1:6) Scriptures like these come to my mind when I am unfocused or unmotivated and either keep me on track or help me get back on track.

What You Need to Help You Follow Through

February 21, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NLT“
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NLT

We all have dreams. You may not have thought about yours for a long time. Perhaps life has swallowed up your initiative to follow through on them, but they are still there. What are they?

Perhaps you have crafted your dream into a goal. You may even have written it down and made a plan. But just maybe, life has swallowed your plan along with your drive to follow through, and you find it hard to move forward. You may feel stuck. Is that you?

The truth is, we don’t have the power to follow through on our dreams and goals until we hear God speak. When He speaks, we receive the power to follow through. What has God spoken to you, and what will you do about it?

If you believe God has spoken to you, what is your next step? Let me offer a suggestion.

Confirm – Pray and be sure that you have heard correctly. Ask trusted people in your life for input. Important decisions require confirmation from more than one source. You are not in this alone. So, don’t isolate yourself. Reach out for support.

Craft a plan to fulfill what God has spoken. Writing it down helps you think through the details but also gives you a concrete reminder to review. Post that plan where you will see it regularly. It’s worth the effort.

Take the next step. That is all. You can only take one step at a time. So, do it! You can’t skip to the end as much as you may want to.

In recent years, I have realized skipping to the end is what I often want most. I want to leap over all the middle steps and just land at the deeply desired goal. Every important, God-inspired goal holds so many more middle steps than I expect. Reaching that goal takes so much more grit, determination, and perseverance than I want. But those middle steps are how God grows my character. I will miss that important aspect if I skip to the end, and so will you.

Here is the bottom line: The power to achieve comes from God. But you and I must choose to move.

What is God saying to you, my friend? How will you respond? What is your next step?

Key Question: What has God spoken to you, and what will you do about it?

A Scripture to Consider: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NLT“

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NLT

A YES Challenge: Whether you have written them out or not, review the goals you have set for yourself. Ask God to highlight the goals He wants you to follow through on. Then, ask Him to empower you to take the next step toward it.

Prayer: Lord, Your word says that there are many plans in human hearts, but that You are the one who directs our steps. I want my plans to line up with Yours. On my own, I can never accomplish anything of value. I need You and Your power. Fill me. Guide me. Lead me in the right path for Your honor and glory. Amen.

If you’d like to learn more, you can check out the book here. Please leave a review on Amazon! That will help other people find the book and receive guidance and encouragement in their God-centered goal setting.

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

God-centered Goal Setting Step 4 – Achieve, Celebrate, Start Again

February 14, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 NIV

What does it mean to achieve? This is Step Four of our framework for God-centered goal setting.

A quick review:

Step 1 – Ask: Take the time to ask God to help you know yourself better. As you discover more of how He has designed you, ask Him how He wants you to cooperate with His designs and plans. What did God create you for?

Step 2 — Aim: Begin to craft goals that line up with the way God has made you and with what you discern His purposes are for you.

Step 3 — Act: Plan action steps that move in the direction of those God-centered goals you have crafted.

Step 4 — Achieve: At this stage, you have completed a goal. You have done the thing you believe God asked you to do. It could be developing a skill, or an area of character. It could be starting a particular ministry, completing a degree program or writing a book. Whatever that goal was, in Step 4 you get to mark it DONE. At this stage, it is time to celebrate. But there is more.

God-Centered Goal Setting Step 3, Part 2 - How to Create Rhythms for Growth to Reach Your Goals

February 7, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you (Psalm 32:8).

How do you follow through on the goals you set? After prayerfully seeking God’s direction and writing out what you believe are His goals for you, you need a plan to help you follow through. The key to getting the right things done is to set yourself up for success with rhythms for growth — systems that help you stay on track.

Systems have been a game-changer for me. Once I became intentional in creating systems for myself — rhythms for growth — I began to check off some of my most important God-centered goals. It wasn’t easy. It took time. But having a system for planning and reviewing my progress helped me to keep taking one step at a time.

Here are some tips for creating your own Rhythms for Growth:

1. Sunday Set-up – Set aside a few minutes on Sunday to do a quick sweep of your house and put things back in order so you can start the week fresh. Then take a few moments to look at your schedule for the upcoming week. Taking some time in advance can help alleviate those last-minute moments of panic when you suddenly remember something important is happening and realize you are not ready! Not that I’ve ever experienced that…

God-Centered Goal Setting Step 3 - Act: How Rhythms for Growth Help to Follow Through on Your Goals

January 31, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you (Psalm 32:8).

How do you stay on track with the goals you have set for yourself? What can help you follow through? My friend, you need a system.

What’s that you say? You think a system sounds boring? Well, it might sound boring. And honestly, sometimes it might seem boring, but systems are exciting because they help you get the right things done. That’s why I like to call them rhythms for growth.

“Systems” has become a very clinical word. In our age of industry and technology, systems have become associated with machinery. But systems are actually God-inspired. Really!

Think about it. God has designed systems that are rhythms for growth in nature. Consider the seasons. We love the summer when it seems like everything is bursting with life. In the fall, nature seem to die off, but really, things are just settling in for a quiet winter. And in winter, when it looks like nothing is happening, plants and animals are internally preparing for spring when growth happens again.

God-Centered Goal Setting Step 2 – Aim: Discover Your More

January 24, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

God-centered goal setting is focused on discovering the purposes God created you for and setting goals that align with that purpose.

The first step in the process is to ASK. Ask God to help you understand how He has designed you and ask Him what is important to Him for you to do. The better you know God, the better you will know yourself, and the better you know yourself, the better you will know God.

The second step is AIM. Once you have explored how God has crafted you and asked Him to guide you, you take aim in the direction you discern Him to be leading. Setting God-centered goals is an act of faith. You are saying YES to God’s purposes for you.

What are your next steps? Where do you go from here? You have so many options. But just because you are moving on to the AIM part of your process doesn’t mean you stop asking. Keep asking God for His plans, purposes, and goals for you.