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Goal-Getters
Help Your Kids Reach Their Dreams
By Beverly K. Bachel
It's fun for your kids to imagine the amazing things they might achieve someday – get a scholarship, develop their own line of clothes, become a tennis pro. But are they doing anything right now to make their dreams come true?
There's no better time than the New Year to help your kids become real goal-getters. Anyone can learn to set goals. And research shows that kids who set goals:
- Feel better about themselves.
- Have increased motivation.
- Get better grades.
- Are more satisfied with their lives.
Here are 10 tips to help your kids get on the goal-setting track and into the fast lane to reaching their dreams:
1. Make them SMART. Make sure your kids' goals are:
- Savvy – Easy to understand and meaningful to them.
- Measurable – Define exactly what they want to accomplish.
- Active – Tell them what action they need to take.
- Reachable – Realistic, based on their skills and experience.
- Timed – Have a clear date when they'll be able to say, "I did it."
Not-so-SMART Goal: "Be the best basketball player on the team."
"Improve my shot percentage by 20 percent by practicing one hour on Saturdays and Sundays during the season."
Not-so-SMART Goal: "Feel better about myself."