A Lesson in Goal Setting from my 7 year old son

It’s 1st January. 

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have made some new year’s resolutions or set yourself goals for the year ahead.

And then what?

Do you make a plan of what you’ll do to achieve that goal or think about how you’ll stick to your New Year’s Resolutions?

Game Plan

Playing Monopoly with my son a few months ago I adopted my usual approach as an opportunist, buying whatever I landed on with no real game plan.

My son however, who was 7 at the time, set his sights firmly on buying the complete set of Mayfair and Park Lane. It didn’t matter what else he landed on, he wasn’t swayed by his goal. While I took every move as it came, he was more strategic; every decision he made was a step towards getting those two properties.

But he didn’t stop there. He knew exactly how much money he needed to buy a house, then another house, then a hotel…and he worked relentlessly until he achieved that.

Meanwhile I plodded around the board claiming a measly £2 in rent every time someone landed on Old Kent Road.

Safe to say he cleaned everyone else out.

So what did I learn from this?

“Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination”

~ Fitzhugh Dodson

It’s easy to make a new year’s resolution or set yourself a goal. The hard part is following it through.

Just because we say we’re going to do something doesn’t mean it will automatically happen, no matter how committed we think we are.

It takes time, plans and milestones. It needs breaking down into achievable, actionable steps. Sometimes those steps might need adjusting but it doesn’t mean the goal needs to change.

Keep it Simple

Goal setting doesn’t need to be hard work but it does require a bit more thought than just stating what you want to happen.

I’ve created a simple goal setting template for you to download for free here. I’d love to know how you get on if you use it - update me at hello@heatherhillcoaching.com