Every New Year’s Eve my husband and I share our goals for the new year to come.  “What are your New Year’s resolutions?” we ask each other. In fact the question has gone beyond private hubby and wife conversation to common party chatter and social gatherings in late December and early January. Now we are in the month of February, and we have either fallen off the goal-directed path or forgotten what we said we had planned to do anyway.

Why does this bad thing happen to well-intended, good people?  Perhaps we are groping in the dark with a walking stick, trying to embark upon that direct path that will take us to our destination. However, good intentions alone will not lead us to our goal — our end result. Having a VISION along with that specific S.M.A.R.T. goal will help us to achieve and be effective adults in the lives of children (and in our own personal decisions as well).

Looking at last week’s goal of building a responsible child, our VISION of what a responsible child looks like will help keep us on our goal tract. Being able to visualize the end result will bring success in achieving this goal – any goal.  When you visualize what a responsible child looks like, what are the qualities you might expect to see, both in the short term and many years ahead? 

On Friday we will create the rest of the ACTION PLAN you are building for your special kiddo.  Do you think having a VISION of what the goal outcome will look like help you to achieve your goal(s)?  Have you ever used this strategy in the past? What examples of developing a VISION and goals to meet that mental picture have helped you in your child-rearing, teaching, grand parenting or even your own personal life?