Ready, Aim, Achieve! - Become An On-purpose Family Through Goal Setting

Successful families don't just happen. They take time, talent and planning. This month, in addition to any personal resolutions you make, consider sitting down with your family to reflect on your collective accomplishments and dreams. Then set some family goals for the year ahead.

How to begin ?

Schedule. Set aside a few hours over a series of nights, and gather together everyone in your home. Your teens will need notice, but tasty treats might help attendance.

Share the purpose. You will be discussing your wants, dreams and the values you hold important in your lives, then using them to develop goals to guide your family.

Reflect. Consider having each member choose and record one really important goal from each category:

Health
Financial
Relationships
Career
Community
Spiritual
Intellectual

Discuss. Share your ideas. Be open and accepting. Some might need to a little coaxing to share, for fear of being ridiculed. However, if done in an atmosphere of mutual respect, this can be a great opportunity to really get to know your family! It can also give insight into people's frustrations & stressors, as you learn about the ideals they hold important in their lives

Analyze. Are they feasible? Are they specific enough? Look for similarities. Do any overlap with others?

Write. Now collectively create a series of statements to both collapse and capture these common desires. These will become your family goals. For example:

We are a kind and loving family who is thankful for all that we have.
We value & support family and friends.
We exercise regularly and lead healthy lives.
We share our time, talents and resources with others.
We invest in the future financially and spiritually.
We strive for excellence in education, and encourage life-long learning.

Celebrate. You now have a set of goals to help guide your family's decision-making. Everyone can now weigh choices against these statements to determine if they lead your family closer or further from your family's goals.

Post & review. Whether you frame your goals or carry copies in your wallets, take time each day, week, & month to reflect and review what you have accomplished. Are you making choices which support these goals? Don't worry if you slip. Even the most effective families can be off track most of the time! The trick that keeps them on target is their shared sense of focus and destination. They know where they are headed, and they keep coming back to it.

Thoughts to ponder ?

Change is hard. Old habits are difficult to overcome. Be patient and supportive of one another.

Involve everyone. The process of family goal setting can help give family members a better sense of "voice". Telling your family what their goals are will not promote acceptance.

Take your time. Creating family goals should be a process, not a one day event.

Regardless of your family type ? big, small, divorced or blended, adoptive or otherwise, successful families don't just happen. So, make a plan and provide the focus needed to achieve your dreams & goals.

For additional information be sure to check out:

The On-Purpose Person: Making Your Life Make Sense by Kevin McCarthy

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey

Family First: Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family by Dr. Phil McGraw

©2005 Rob Stringer.com - reprinted with permission

Award-winning educator, speaker and author, Rob Stringer coaches and assists parents with his upbeat approach to learning, and parenting. For more ideas, resources or workshop information, visit http://www.RobStringer.com or call (905) 544-1938 today.

---

You Make Me Sick And Other Things Parents Say in Anger

Maryann is so focused she's blind. She's slipped over the... Read More

My Best Buddy

My son, Dakota is now 7 yrs old. He is... Read More

Getting through the School Daze

It's back to school time again. Does the thought of... Read More

Build Character Now! Practical Tools for Busy Parents

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals... Read More

Guilty of Not Following Her Heart

Karen, a single never-married thirty-year old attorney has a four-year... Read More

The Seven Keys of Being a Father

Is there a fathering instinct?Celebrated child development expert Erik Erikson... Read More

What is Child Sexual Abuse?

What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is... Read More

Invented Spelling --- Another Alice-in-Wonderland Public-School Theory

As part of the whole-language (or "balanced") reading-instruction philosophy, many... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: Truth or Lie?

Attention all parents of teen-agers. Here is an important, groundbreaking... Read More

Parenting Secrets Revealed

So your little Susie wants to join a competitive gymnastic... Read More

Managing Your Stepfamily

If you are a member of a stepfamily, you know... Read More

What Parents Should Do For Children To Do Their Best After Divorce?

Why do some children still do best after divorce and... Read More

Helpful Tips for the Adoptive Grandparent

Few things are more completely enjoyable than becoming a grandparent.... Read More

How to Create an Attitude of Cooperation

Having been a parent educator and a PBS consultant for... Read More

The Muffed Dance

Teri was 5. As younger siblings do, she looked up... Read More

Ten Tips for a Great First Day of School!

Many children are jittery on the first day of school.... Read More

Youth In A Changing World

IntroductionChildren are the gifts of God to parents. That young... Read More

I WONT DO IT! Tips for Working with the Oppositional Child

"I WON'T DO IT!" "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"Whether parent or... Read More

How to Cope With Colic

When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor... Read More

What Do You Teach Your Children About Money?

Whether we realize it or not we teach our children... Read More

Your Checking Account

Checking accounts are an absolute necessity these days. You can... Read More

Go Ahead - Make Dads Day

Throughout the year, many days of celebration are tucked capriciously... Read More

Birth of a Parent

So you're pregnant. Congratulations! Your life is about to change... Read More

Of Kings and Youth Leadership

(Isaiah 11:6 KJV) The wolf also shall dwell with the... Read More

School Issues: When Should an ADHD Child Be Held Back In School?

This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't... Read More

Strong-willed Kids: Raising a Spirited Child

Sometimes a change of perspective can make a huge difference... Read More

How to Assist Troubled Teens

What parents of a teen haven't wondered where their sweet... Read More

Secret Of Your Genuis Child

Here is a top secret to make your child genius... Read More

How Effective Are Ritalin and Dexedrine in Treating the Symptoms of ADHD?

Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More

Top 10 Mistakes by New and Expectant Dads

From criticizing a spouse, to claming up about one's own... Read More

Back to School Responsibilities Again

It's that time of year when mom and dad look... Read More

Surviving as a Single Parent

Emotional OverloadMany single parents say they deal with a variety... Read More

What Should I Know About Strattera for ADHD?

Strattera came out around January of 2003, and is becoming... Read More