Taking Time To Think & Plan Your Goals
With the New Year always comes a desire to make changes, to start fresh. Resolutions are often made and broken before a week or two into the New Year. How can you make and keep your resolutions? Make it a family project. Talk to each other about the changes you would each like to make, as individuals and as a family.
By making lists and talking about it, you will help keep each other on track and encourage one another. Prioritize the list to see which changes are most important and focus on those first. If you try to change too much at once, it will be overwhelming. Accountability can be a great tool in making life changes, however there is a thin line between encouraging each other and nagging. Be sure to always encourage each other in a positive way.
Once you have your list prioritized, it is time to convert the resolutions into goals. Set a date by which you want to accomplish each goal. We all have projects that have been put off for ages. Pick one to start and then pick a date to have it done by. Make a list of all the things you need to do to reach your goal. By making it visual, it is easier to stay on track. Hang a checklist or chart where it can be seen and updated daily.
When it comes to goals for the whole family, make sure everyone has agreed to the same thing. It is impossible to work together if you aren't all working toward the same thing. If it's something like simply spending more time together as a family, be sure to take everyone's schedules into account. Things will come up along the way, so be flexible and work it out as a family.
Even if each person has their own goal to reach, make another goal to help each other keep each personal resolution. For example, if someone has decided to give up junk food, try not to eat it, or at least not in front of them. Of if someone wants to exercise more, even if it's not your resolution, joining them in their workout sessions not only helps keep them motivated, but helps you get in better shape as well.
By setting up short-term and long-term goals you can monitor your progress toward keeping your New Year's resolutions. The short-term goals are stepping-stones to the larger prize. Calendars, charts and checklists are all good tools for keeping track of the family's progress. Compeition is also a good motivator. Have a contest to see who can reach their goal first. Make the prize something that the whole family would want, such as a week off from their chores, or their choice of a special dinner.
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