You’ve likely heard the joke, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Personally, I’d rather eat a cow, but that’s not the point. The point is to never take on more than you can handle at any specific time. Instead of putting your head in a spin, rotating, but not going anywhere, just take a step forward. In time, your personal elephant will be digested. You can use the tusks to pick your teeth, metaphorically speaking.
We all know that what you learn when you are young comes more quickly and stays with you longer. This applies to goal setting. This is when a parent can be a huge, positive influence on the life of their child. Goal oriented people are naturally more successful than most. But goals set and not met can devastate one’s confidence. The answer is mini goals towards a target goal.
Like climbing steps to reach a friend’s apartment on the third floor, you must first reach the first floor. To reach the first floor, you must take the first step. Even the first step to the first floor is a victory if you’re recovering from a broken hip or had heart surgery. But it is a necessary step for all of us.
The key to convincing your child to always have goals is the rewards they bring. While it’s up to your child to pick a goal desirable to them, they may not be in the best position to plan an assault to get there. The way to get those big rewards (achievement alone is a reward) is to make the mini-goals challenging, but achievable tasks. A mini goal too easily obtained is not satisfying. A mini goal too difficult to obtain will result in failure, disappointment and discouragement. Only a parent is wise enough and knows their child enough to choose mini goals wisely.
Success in any endeavor is an endorphin and can surely become habit forming. Of course, goals are age related and can be anything relatable to them. Fun challenges can be a good start, before they really know what they want. For example:
Michael Byron Smith
Author of 'The Power of Dadhood'
We all know that what you learn when you are young comes more quickly and stays with you longer. This applies to goal setting. This is when a parent can be a huge, positive influence on the life of their child. Goal oriented people are naturally more successful than most. But goals set and not met can devastate one’s confidence. The answer is mini goals towards a target goal.
Like climbing steps to reach a friend’s apartment on the third floor, you must first reach the first floor. To reach the first floor, you must take the first step. Even the first step to the first floor is a victory if you’re recovering from a broken hip or had heart surgery. But it is a necessary step for all of us.
The key to convincing your child to always have goals is the rewards they bring. While it’s up to your child to pick a goal desirable to them, they may not be in the best position to plan an assault to get there. The way to get those big rewards (achievement alone is a reward) is to make the mini-goals challenging, but achievable tasks. A mini goal too easily obtained is not satisfying. A mini goal too difficult to obtain will result in failure, disappointment and discouragement. Only a parent is wise enough and knows their child enough to choose mini goals wisely.
Success in any endeavor is an endorphin and can surely become habit forming. Of course, goals are age related and can be anything relatable to them. Fun challenges can be a good start, before they really know what they want. For example:
- How far can they run? Improving each week.
- How many books (or pages) can they read in a week?
- How much weight can they lift? Improving each month.
- How to get better grades by dedication increasing time studying without distractions.
- What treat/honor can they score by keeping their room clean all week?
- How many people did they smile at today?
- Can they do flash cards faster, or move up to higher level flash cards?
- How many free throws can they make in a row? 3 today, 10 next week, improving over time to maybe 25.
Michael Byron Smith
Author of 'The Power of Dadhood'
