Goal setting for every age
Now that the New Year hype is over and the pressure for new starts is off, let’s get real about creating goals and bring it back to basics.
There is so much information on goal setting which can be overwhelming for many. Just this weekend, my husband and I shared our goals. It was a great exercise in understanding what is important to us independently and how this has impacted what we want to get out of this year.
But it dawned on me this morning as I sat with each of my children independently to help them with their goal setting just how much we, as adults can overcomplicate the process.
So, if you’ve started the year, and already wanting to press the pause button, let me share with you a very basic goal setting exercise I am doing with the kids.
To begin, there are four key questions you should ask yourself:
1. What were my highlights from last year (i.e. what did I enjoy/achieve)?
2. What did I not like so much (i.e. what did I struggle with/not look forward to)?
3. What is important to me?
4. What would I like to achieve this year (don’t over do it 3-4 will keep you busy enough)?
From there you make a clear action plan on each goal, breaking it down to bite size mini goals to keep you motivated and accountable.
Goals shouldn’t be something that you set and forget, so be sure to revisit them each month, check in with yourself and reflect on your progress or blockers if you are struggling to move forward.
The final part of the goal setting and most importantly goal achieving is to find yourself an accountability partner. Someone you feel safe sharing your goals and challenges with (not just the positives) who will commit to being that critical friend. Schedule regular check ins with your accountability partner, and be prepared. I meet my accountability partner every fortnight as a guide. If you are doing this with your children, usually the parent is the accountability partner to begin with.
This shouldn’t take long is you make some space for yourself. Take yourself away from distractions while you mull over those four questions. I find a walk and a big sleep helps me.
If there is a good time to get serious and focused on the year ahead, now is the time. Who knows you might just learn something new about yourself.
