Set Goals to Develop Perseverance

Any time is a great time to create a new goal! But with so many people buzzing about their goals for the New Year, this a perfect time to get children involved in setting goals.

Take heed- be sure the goals children set are likely something they can achieve with hard work and persistence.

Goals should be SMART :
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results focused
Time-bound

So for instance, while "Being nicer to my sister" seems like a great goal from a parent's perspective, it isn't a SMART goal. Also, let your child determine what kind of goal to set in order to make it meaningful to them. We may want our child to set a goal of keeping their room clean, but if it isn't really meaningful to them, the likelihood of success is lower and if success is achieved won't be as meaningful as achieving a goal they truly care about.

Help children create an achievement plan
You can help your child achieve success by helping them set up an achievement plan.
Ask them what resources they will need, how much time they will need to commit.
Break needed tasks into small steps. Ask them what obstacles they think they might encounter and have them brainstorm what they might do if/when that happens.
Remember there is no need to offer a reward, bribe, or "carrot" for achieving the goal. If the goal is truly meaningful, achieving the goal will be better than any external reward and offering external rewards only detracts from its meaningfulness.

Perseverance is continuing despite difficulty or unexpected challenges. 

When obstacles happen and things don't happen as anticipated, use this as on opportunity to teach perseverance. Perseverance is a component of resiliency.

• Don't rescue your child by jumping in and fixing the problem. Help them problem-solve with the least amount of input as necessary from your end. 
• Don't do the work for them. If the goal is achieved, the pride of accomplishment is no longer theirs.
• Also don't nag or pressure your child if they begin lagging on their goal. Ask how their goal is coming along. Ask if they want to talk about any issues? Even ask if the goal still meaningful or would setting another goal be more meaningful?

Be sure to applaud your child's efforts and work rather than the outcome. Occasionally, positive outcomes come with little work but more than often working hard doesn't give immediate payoffs. Developing perseverance will pay off in the long run because most successes in life do not come without hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. True success is worth all the time and effort required- something Albert Einstein acknowledged by saying:

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."