SMART Resolutions for a New Year

It’s a New Year and time for, you guessed it, Resolutions!  Or. Maybe not.  I know before becoming a parent, resolutions were much easier to make and keep past Valentine’s Day.  Children challenge our desire to have order, peace, and CONTROL. 

So, what can we do when we want to make improvements in ourselves, our homes, and our families, but also don’t want to be disappointed when things go off the rails?  I spent some time researching this and thinking about how I can set my family and me up for success with any goals, not resolutions, we have for 2024.    

Many of you have probably seen the acronym SMART for goals, but if you are new to the idea, here is the explanation.

Goals Should Be:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely

Here is an example of how to change a vague goal into a SMART goal.

A vague goal may be, I want to read my Bible more this year.  This goal is not Specific or Measurable.  It is probably Achievable and Realistic, but there isn’t a way to evaluate if you have met your goal.

​To turn it into a SMART goal it would look something like this:
My goal is to read through the Bible this year. This goal meets all the requirements of a SMART goal, but how do we achieve it?  By making a PLAN! 

To meet my New Year’s Goal:
 I will get up 20 minutes earlier each day to add time to read my Bible. 
I will follow a plan so that I am reading the Bible in an achievable way. 
I will write down each time I complete a book of the Bible. 
I will not quit when I miss a day or two, or even a week, but will get back to my PLAN. 
I will celebrate when my goal is met!     

Goals are good.  Change is good.  Our kids need to see us setting goals and working toward them.  They need to see that we never stop growing and learning.  They need to see us succeed and they need to see us fail – they will learn from how we handle each of those situations.  Maybe your family can set individual and family goals and help each other succeed, spend time cheering for each other. 
We pray that this year is a year of growth for your children, your family and you!  That you will all grow closer as a family and closer to Jesus! 

If you would like to know more about goal setting, check out the Podcast “Our Time to Rise” Episode 436, A New Way of Effective Goal Setting. 

By Kym Schnittker, Arapahoe County FamiliesCare Manager