Goal Setting Is Important

Introducing goal setting with children has many benefits.

Interested Enough to Ask

The first one is that it demonstrates our interest in them.

Imagine someone being interested in what your dreams or goals are?  That speaks volumes to children.

The simple question, “What are your dreams for your life?  What goals do you have for your life?”

It lets them know that besides being an authoritative figure in their lives, one who is asking them to follow the rules, ‘encouraging them to do the right thing’, you are interested in them!

It stirs up their motivation. 

Motivation is a desire to act in service of a goal.

Asking about their goals causes them to take their ideas from being in their heads to verbally sharing them with someone that is one; interested enough to ask them, two; willing to actively listen to them and three; help them to be accountable.

Willing To Listen

The mind of a child is full of aspirations, creativity, dreams, imagination, questions, etc.  One of the greatest benefits in the mind of a child is that they do all the above without limitations!

We must allow them to share them with us. We must create a safe place, an open door for them to simply speak, whether it’s about a goal, the happenings of their day, whatever they want to talk about.

And whether they talk about their goals or not, we should provide a space for them to just talk.

Recently having an experience of a mentee having a challenging day, not feeling well in his body, and having an emotional and personal internal conflict, allowed us to understand how important it is to allow the mentees to have a safe place to work through a challenge and bounce back without judgement.

Given the opportunity to process the challenge of the day, allowing him to talk through the process opened a conversation about his goals.

The process allowed him and the others to discuss how it could have been handled differently.  Not only did the mentees benefit from this but also the mentors. It allowed us to understand their thinking processes.

And the topic of goals naturally happened. We will continue to discuss their goals while motivating them into action.

 The challenge:  Ask your child/children about their goals.  If you don’t have children, ask a child you encounter the question, “What are your dreams for your life?  What goals do you have for your life?”

It could be the start of a great conversation.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash