In my last post, I talked about the value of goal setting. I talked about why it matters. I don’t believe you can have a thorough educational plan without clearly defined goals and a plan for achievement. Now that plan can and should often be revisited, but the goal and end result remain the same.
So, now I ask, what can goal setting do for you? I’ve seen it help students increase test scores and master concepts they’d “always” struggled with. Once we broke down and analyzed tests, students often learned it wasn’t reading or writing that they struggled with- it was figurative language, or drawing inferences. Once they identified the skill they struggled with, our goal setting journey began. By the end of the year, my students who took our goal setting sessions seriously accomplished more than they believed possible when they first entered my classroom.
I’ve witnessed goal setting work in my personal life as well. From the very beginning of our marriage, Matt and I set out to accomplish big things. We set a financial goal of being debt free. We took several detours on this one, but we finally did it. We paid off all consumer debt and all student loans. Now our financial goals are clearer, more accurately planned, and we have more motivation to accomplish them. As a team, we defined what matters to us. We realized that we desire freedom: financial freedom and freedom of schedule.
Freedom of schedule means several things. My husband and I want to travel. We traveled a lot in our younger days. We want to take family vacations, see our country, and see the world. But several things need to happen first, the most obvious one being our time. Matt’s job was our first obstacle. He eventually found a work from home position that would afford him the ability to take his job on the road. Working from anywhere that has an internet connection was the first step for us to achieve freedom of schedule. The next obstacle was working around a school schedule. Homeschooling makes the most sense here. We can make our schooling as heavy or light as necessary. We can take breaks on our calendar, and not a district’s. Once the pandemic has lightened, we look forward to making our first cross-country road trip. In the mean time, we’ve been practicing our skills and hitting various camp grounds. Not being subject to any one else’s demands on our time has been incredibly freeing and rewarding for our family. I have to remind myself that we would not have had these experiences or memories if Matt and I hadn’t started casting vision and working towards that reality years ago.
I realize that some of these things sound very counter-cultural, and I’m ok with that. I was prior to the pandemic, but I think this year has also shown many of us how many demands are placed on our time. It is possible to take control of your family’s schedule, if that is something you desire.
What can goals do for you? For our family, goals have provided a path to financial freedom and freedom of schedule. It is extremely exciting to me to be at the cusp of these goals, and realize the possibilities before us. If you had asked me two years ago about these, I would have laughed and said they are a ways off in the future. It’s funny how a phone call, a job change, and a renewed determination can alter your timeline.
What do you want for your future? For your family? What can goal setting help you accomplish?
Start planning today by downloading this free goal planning guide. Dream big, my friend!