"It's the most wonderful time, of the year!"
Classic! Like it or not, it is that time of year and kids everywhere are beginning to grow and improve already. It is the new school year.
Take a minute to think about where they were one year ago and look at how they have changed, grown, and improved over the last 12 months. It is amazing and a live-in reminder of how fast the time does go...
Now think about yourself over that same year. What areas have you improved in, or have you just been treading water, trying to keep up? This is a great time of year for all of us to commit to change. All the kids are doin' it! So why not us? This is a great opportunity to LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
Any change is hard and we know it takes 8-12 times of doing something before it becomes a new habit but let's ride this wave of new beginnings and get to it! A few things to keep in mind:
PRIORITIZE: There is so much out there, it's easy to get distracted. What's most important to you and really worth committing to?
START SMALL: build on small changes to generate positive momentum. If you get shut out early, you won't stay with it. (ala New Year's resolutions)
SHARE IT: Do you check your children's homework? Show the family what you're doing. It sets a great example! They are wonderful support and will keep you honest!
CELEBRATE SUCCESSES: When the kids get an "A" we reinforce that win, don't we?
Make winning a family habit and enjoy the growth and improvement in each person! Lead the way.
My change is to better plan our weeks at home from meals to school lunches and chores... I'm getting the crew together to gather input on how we can best do this. I have a few ideas but I'm not the brains of the operation, our team always generates great output. I'm excited to facilitate and listen!
What are some other keys to making the small improvements stick?
Thanks! Brian
3 comments:
My goal is to be more organized and to be more consistent. My kids have chores, but they are only asked to do them about 1/2 of the week. I want to have more structure to both help things run more smoothly and also to help me stick to the things that truly are important instead of getting diverted by the chaos.
Hi Brian,
I think you've made some great suggestions so far about making any change/new habit creation easier.
Another way is to actually look at how you can get the same outcome in a fun and easy way. Use the kids example and make a game out of it. We're all far more likely to do more of something we enjoy doing, and consequently far more likely to get better at it.
Thanks Jen, I totally agree! We love music. There are always tunes, singing, and dancing involved when we're getting things done around the house. Another key point is their ownership of those chores... When they help to put the list together and I let them have a few "wins", that goes a long way. Thanks! Brian
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