We are continuing to discuss how to make mindset shifts and pursue personal growth from a Christian biblical perspective. The mindset we are going to look at today is short-term thinking vs. long-term thinking.
Thinking long term is especially challenging in the time in which we are living. Everything is fast food, fast delivery, quick pleasure, short attention spans, and immediate adrenaline fixes. We want everything to happen yesterday. Advertisers exaggerate how quickly we’ll see results if we try their products. Everything is the quick-fix approach. This creates the attitude of: “If I can’t be good at this right away, I don’t want to even try.” Or, if: “I don’t see success quickly, I’m moving on to something else.” I hate to say it, but young people are jumping from job to job. Loyalty is no longer an admired virtue.
Here are some by-products we may be experiencing from a short-term thinking mentality. Nothing holds our attention very long. We find ourselves getting easily distracted. We pick up the phone instead of completing tasks. Another by-product of this short-term thinking in a fast-paced world is that we can get caught up comparing our results with other people’s results, thinking they’re getting their successful results faster. Our response to that is to start putting pressure on ourselves and getting frustrated—which then leads us to not enjoying the very thing we’ve set up for ourselves. We want to give up and quit! I’ve struggled with these very things until I started realizing it’s a mindset issue, not necessarily a skill set issue.
Definitions
I like these definitions AI culled when I asked.
“A short game mindset focuses on quick results and immediate gratification, it’s often driven by urgency and pressure to achieve fast success. While this can feel rewarding in the moment, it can also lead us to compromise our Christian values, like honesty, patience, or trust in God’s timing, in favor of short-term gains. This mindset prioritizes what feels good now over what is right and lasting, which can pull us away from living a life rooted in faith and obedience to God.”
“A long game mindset is about focusing on the big picture and making decisions that align with long-term goals rather than chasing immediate results. It’s about patience, persistence, and trusting God’s plan, knowing that obedience and perseverance will lead to lasting fruit (Galatians 6:9). This mindset helps us stay grounded in faith and purpose, even when the process takes time.”
Long Game Mentality
I love to share tennis stories because I play a lot of tennis, and I have experienced this process firsthand. I started playing tennis a long time ago. The short-game mindset vs. the long-game mindset. I had played other sports as a kid, just not tennis. When I started at tennis, I was not very good. In the beginning, I had several friends who started off really good. I struggled with the comparison trap. I had a mentor, an older gentleman, he kept telling me: “Monette you love that tennis is a life sport. Keep the attitude of playing the long game. Continue to work on your skills and have a long game mentality.” That advice has stuck with me. Many of the friends I had compared myself to early on, no longer even play tennis for one reason or another. I have played on many teams and eventually captained my own team for several years. I’ve personally seen it all. I watched tons of drama. I’ve gotten caught up in some of this drama. The biggest thing I see, is when someone plays with a short-game mentality, the pressure they put on themselves and the struggles they experience have been due to this mindset issue. Even the fast learners get caught up in moments of quick success and the pressure they put on themselves to stay at this level. Most of tennis team drama I’ve seen and experienced comes from short-game mentality. The people I’ve seen, whether they were a quick start or a slow start, who experience the most success and keep the love for the game are the ones that play with a long-game mindset. Going back to the advice of my first tennis mentor that told me: “Monette you love that tennis is a life sport. Keep the attitude of playing the long game.” Some of the most valuable advice I have ever received.
I shared a tennis illustration but plug in anything. Marriage is the long game. An entrepreneur’s journey is the long game. A mom raising children is the long game. A successful fitness journey is the long game. All of it!
Now I’m going to give you the area I think the long-game mindset is most important. It’s the Christian long-game mindset.
Application to Christian Life
When we come to know Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, this is the first step. So many people play the short game, they believe that’s all there is to the Christian life. They continue to live their life on their own terms knowing they have this life insurance policy when they die. Never attend church, maybe Easter and Christmas and never pick up and read their bible. This is their short-term game plan. Or maybe they fall on the other side, they get caught up in legalism; become prideful and judgmental. Or they are involved in some religion believing they must do all these things to earn their salvation. It’s all about doing and they never understand that salvation is a free gift. They have a works mentality and that is man made. They never experience an intimate relationship with God the father. Their religion is fear based, not faith based. To me these examples are all short-term game plans.
The long-term game plan is understanding all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23! The first step is we accept we are a sinner and need a savior. We accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe he died on the cross for our sins and rose three days later conquering death for us. We accept and believe this by faith. God gives us a new life. Our name is now in the Book of Life. We are brought into his family. This is a free gift. This is the beginning of the long game. Once we are in his family, God wants a personal relationship with us. He gave us his living word to study and get to know him. Reading and studying his word is his play book for us to live out our faith. He has so much to teach us. He encourages us to pray. To ask him questions, to share our hopes and our fears with him as we rely on him through faith and prayer. Finding a Bible-believing church that teaches the Bible in its entirety is key. Spending time with other believers is important. Living the long game isn’t about being perfect. The Lord knows we will stumble and make mistakes. He loves us and wants the best for us. The long game goes beyond this life. It’s for eternity. The Bible is real, it’s God’s truths. He tells us all the way to Revelation how this game plays out. Who wins and who loses. His word is his living truth. I know I’m getting personal here but in your Christian walk, are you playing the short-game or the long-game. I’ve played the short game and I’m here to tell you, God wants us to play the long game.
Action Steps
Here are some action steps to take you from wanting to make the mindset shift from the Short Game mindset to the Long Game mindset!
1. Recognize the Short Game Mentality:
• Identify areas where you’re seeking quick results or instant gratification (e.g., comparing yourself to others, giving up too soon, or prioritizing immediate rewards over long-term growth).
• Reflect on how this mindset might be causing frustration, distractions, or compromises in your values.
2. Shift to a Long Game Perspective:
• Focus on the bigger picture and align your actions with long-term goals (e.g., improving skills, nurturing relationships, or deepening faith).
• Practice patience and persistence, trusting that consistent effort will yield lasting results (Galatians 6:9).
3. Build Habits for the Long Game:
• Faith: Commit to regular prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers to grow spiritually.
• Personal Growth: Invest in skill-building and continued learning, even when the progress feels slow.
• Relationships: Prioritize meaningful connections over fleeting interactions.
4. Embrace Setbacks as Growth Opportunities:
• Understand that mistakes are part of the process and don’t define your entire journey.
• Use challenges to strengthen your trust in God’s timing and plan.
5. Celebrate Small Wins:
• Acknowledge your progress. See these as steps toward your ultimate goal.
• Stay motivated by appreciating how far you’ve come rather than fixating on how far you have to go.
By shifting from a short-term mindset to a long-term one, you can cultivate resilience, deepen your faith, and achieve enduring success in all areas of life. That’s what’s working for me! I’d love to hear how these ideas work for you.
Monette hosts a weekly podcast: Mornings with Monette. She has been a lifelong learner and and appreciates the opportunity to share what she has learned–both through her podcast and here at The Best-Life Project (based on the content of her weekly podcast). Her messages are raw, honest and straight from the heart. She lives in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Leland. They have three adult children and are enjoying living their best lives filled with travel and adventure. For more information, visit: http://morningswithmonette.com/.
Thanks, Monette! Again, SO SPOT ON!