Getting bit is an unpleasant experience. It leaves teeth marks, saliva, and is extremely painful. This unfortunate experience has occurred in our household, on a somewhat regular basis, for the past four years. It usually involves a young girl (one of my daughters) getting bit out of frustration by their younger brother Emerson. It is effective in yielding sisterly tears and sorrowful minutes in timeout.
Emerson knows it is wrong and that is why he set the goal to NOT bite his sisters in 2016. It is a real goal that we populated into his 2016 goals tracker (one of eight goals he set). He has been successful, thus far, in 2016 but how is he going to keep up the positive momentum for the remaining 11 months?
To best assist my young son in his noble endeavor I will need to put on my paternal hat and remind him that I have been diligently striving to accomplish annual goals for 15+ years. Each year I learn something new in the process of achieving and not achieving goals (I have about a 70% hit rate over the past couple years). Experience has taught me that implementing the following tips will help him accomplish “no biting” and much more in his sojourn here on earth.
- Input goals into a spreadsheet or tracker. The tracker doesn’t need to be complicated. If I hadn’t already done this for him, I would have referred him to this Annual Goals Template and have him watch the How to Use Goals Template video.
- Review goals on a weekly basis. The importance of this action is so impactful that I have integrated it into my weekly goals over the past two years. It takes less than five minutes. The process will yield tremendous benefit in refocusing the individual on what matters most. Putting a tickler in a calendar for a specific time each week will help. For Emerson, Thursday nights are goal population night.
- Don’t get discouraged. We are not striving for perfection but progression. It is completely okay if we miss one, or all, our goals for a week. The important thing is that we try again next week. Keep track even when we don’t succeed. We will get the hang of it if we just keep trying.
- It is okay to remove, add, or edit. Sometimes what we thought was a good goal turns out to be too hard, irrelevant, or no longer important. Remember, we are the owner of our purpose and can modify as we see fit. The goal is forward motion not immediate acceleration. For Emerson…I will strongly encourage him to keep this goal as it is a very necessary life skill.
- Rewards can motivate. Give rewards/incentives that are meaningful. Be creative. Rewards can be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual. Ensure that each reward is attached to a specific goal. Write it down on the Annual Goals Template to keep the incentive up front and visible each week.
At this point, I will need to remind him that if he is “SMART” with his goals and remembers Daddy’s helpful hints he will be cruising along life’s road towards fulfillment, meaning, purpose, and a safe household for all sisters.
Good Luck Emerson!
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