I believe that the openness of the mind of a 6 year old is much different to that of a 16 year old... the younger the child the easier it will be to foster creativity in fulfilling goal-setting.

I think that the teaching of goal-setting is interesting in that it can utilise both divergent and convergent thinking. If I have to pick ONE THING it is this- that there are many routes between the beginning of the journey and the end of the road... to take one path does not mean you cannot leap to another...

In one sense, we are pattern recognition machines... great for learning some things, but a hinderance in thinking CREATIVELY... often the best path is not the most travelled path...

To help them with in terms of the goals process itself- Identifying the goals! Correctly identifying the goal is often the most difficult task as many people THINK they know what the objective is... but may find later that they were watching the tree instead of observing the forest!

posted August 22, 2007

Great question. I believe that what we believe is what we get...however, I see so much information out there today (I'm thinking of the hit movie and book, The Secret) that seems to gloss over two important parts of achieving goals: 1) consistent action and 2) service to others. Yes, it's true that you can have whatever you set your mind on, but it's also true that believing is not enough. Consistent daily action is the most important thing required to achieve goals...and that part is not always fun, pleasant, or easy. Consistency is the key.

I'm also a big believer in the power of language, visualization and affirmations. What I've done with my child (now a teen) since she was little is to help her turn "I can't do it" into "How can I do it?" or I try to help her visualizing herself having achieved the goal (like athletes often do!).

In our family, "how can I do it?" leads to brainstorming, which leads to evaluating each idea against the intended outcome of the project, which leads to small, measurable steps to get there. Little kids need a lot of prompting with this, less and less as they get older. I love to watch kids learn and explore with this...

posted August 22, 2007

The difference between "DREAM" (vision) and "REALITY" (execution). I agree that it is important to set realistic goals so that you can measure success and get a sense of achievement.

However, at the same time, a child's mind is a wonderful thing and it is also important cultivate the mind's imagination abilities. As we grow older, we tend to get bogged down by reality and start loosing the imagination abilities.

posted August 22, 2007

Oragnizing your thoughts ... planning something out and putting the plan onto paper. The plan can be developed in text or graphically, as long as they understand the plan.

Links:

• http://e-lore.com/wiki/Goal_Setting

posted August 22, 2007

Do what you say you will do.

best,

Tom

posted August 22, 2007

I don't know if I would want to teach goal setting to kids, in today's society we put too much pressure on them to mirror our achievement oriented adult lives. Childhood should remain an innocent time with stimulating education, unsuppressed creativity, and enjoyable activity. Education should stimulate children to want to be president or an astronaut. Creativity should make them want to be a famous artist or musician. Activity should allow them to dream of being in the Olympics. I would prefer that then having them set a goal of making six figures by 25 and having a big house with a walk in freezer. That way they will end up smart, creative and healthy, tools that I can give them to help survive the rat race they must enter as adults. I am not saying that I don’t challenge my kids, but I try to teach them to look to have a meaningful life and not just a material one. Remember they are kids they deserve a childhood.

posted August 22, 2007

This is what I think:

Kids don't need to learn about goal setting; they have their goals set for them day in and day out. You want to know what a teenage boy's goalsetting would *really* look like? Think back!

They need to learn how to *achieve* goals.

They need to learn how to organize.

The need to organize their papers, their thoughts, and their responsibilities. When they're in High School, you can talk about organizing their interests and developing plans for exploring those interests.

They also desperately need to learn how to organize into workgroup teams and in particular how to troubleshoot poor team dynamics, including when to go to the teacher (i.e. when to bump it up a level).

And the number one thing all children MUST know before they leave home: what to do when they fail to reach a goal, when they realize they've made a major wrong choice, and where they can turn for help -- how to find resources -- if they can't find their parents.

posted August 22, 2007

Hi Dave,

I would explain the kids what are goals ,their importance and help them set realistic goals for each day in their life.As they become more mature and successful in acheiveing those goals the actual goal setting process will take shape in their minds and get imbibed in their charcter,thus making their goals and their successful accomplishment more relevant to them with each passing moment.

posted August 23, 2007

Try, choose and focus.

posted August 23, 2007

Truly a great question as I am a father of two children. I am still learning to be a 'qualified' father every day. I admit it is a challenge job.

In my opinion teaching a child goal setting is debatable.
Here are some examples... what if parents of Bill Gates and Michael Dell had intentionally taught them about goal setting when they were between 6 and 16, don't you think we would have had same Bill and Michael today?

Instead, I would emphasize on a few keywords consistently...
integrity, honesty, confidence, discipline, understanding others, instilling, patience, hard work, learning mistakes from self and others, volunteering, leadership, leading by examples...

posted August 25, 2007

Hi Dave
I would do it in the following order:

1) Start with the end in mind, what does it look like when accomplished?
2) By when will it be accomplished?
3) Where will it be accomplished?
4) Going back in time set milestones for each month, etc.
5) Enroll an observer whom you report to regularly
6) Celebrate milestone achievements
7) Create a support team in addition to the observer.
8) Create a support structure, i.e. reminder system.
9) Create a collage that depicts your final outcome and place it over your bed.
10) Create a screen saver that reminds you what you need to do and who you need to be.
11) Choose the paradigms and beingnesses that will take you to your goal.
12) Measure regularly.

Final Note: Do NOT share your goals with anyone whom you do not fully trust that they will support this accomplishment and do not share this goal with anyone who wishes you ill. Only share your goal with people who in their heart fully support you.

This is how as a teenager at age 16 I bought a $2500 motorcycle on a $20/month allowance and within 8 months.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Sunny regards,

Bjorn

Bjorn Martinoff
Managing Consultant & Senior Executive Coach
F1C Inc. www.fortune100coach.com
Providing Global & Local Human Capital Solutions

bjorn@fortune100coach.com

posted August 25, 2007

The first thing I've impressed upon my children is that whatever THEY reach for.... be it simple, pie-in-the-sky, immediate, long term, whatever..... THEY are responsible for making happen.

You can get into all the goal-setting philosophies, techniques, processes, etc that you want. Until a child knows they own the responsibility of attainment, they won't achieve any goals.

Having said that, when it comes to the goals process, I do help them think it through, break it into logical, manageable steps, determine if there are dependencies, set timelines, etc. In some things they are very successful; in others, going through the process helps them determine if it's truly a goal, or just a "wouldn't this be cool...." thought.

posted August 27, 2007