2018 has been an awesome adventure . . .

filled with gifts of opportunities to grow as educators, connect with our youth, improve ourselves as a person,  learning moments and more.  For those who I interacted with this year directly and indirectly, thank you for your gifts of love, knowledge, feedback, patience, and opportunity as those those as things that make us all grow as people and life long learners.

While we have people out their in the cold and in the crowd waiting for the ball to drop,  I’ll be using the rest of my time in 2018, being with family and my two pups, binging on some TV shows, re-evaluating my finances, determining which possessions I need and don’t need, and being reflective and proactive by creating an action plan for the upcoming year.   I’m not a big fan of resolutions.   Resolutions mean we are trying to resolve something that we didn’t solve in the current year.  I feel that the concept of resolution stems from regret of not meeting goals and I don’t want to live with regret.  Many people make resolution but don’t meet them because the goals are not  S.M.A.R.T.

CREATING SMART GOALS

As you are making your resolution for the upcoming year, determine if your goals are S.M.A.R.T.  goals.  Emily Espisoto from SmartSheet gives us a framework of creating S.M.A.R.T goals.

S – Specific

When setting a goal, be specific about what you want to accomplish. Think about this as the mission statement for your goal.

• Who – Consider who needs to be involved to achieve the goal (this is especially important when you’re working on a group project).
• What – Think about exactly what you are trying to accomplish and don’t be afraid to get very detailed.
• When – Set a time frame of when you want your goal to be completed by.
• Where – Where do you want your goal to happen?
• Which – Determine any related obstacles or requirements. This question can be beneficial in deciding if your goal is realistic. For example, if the goal is to open a baking business, but you’ve never baked anything before, that might be an issue. As a result, you may refine the specifics of the goal to be “Learn how to bake in order to open a baking business.”
• Why – What is the reason for the goal?

M – Measurable

What metrics are you going to use to determine if you meet the goal? This makes a goal more tangible because it provides a way to measure progress. If it’s a project that’s going to take a few months to complete, then set some milestones by considering specific tasks to accomplish.

A – Achievable

This focuses on how important a goal is to you and what you can do to make it attainable and may require developing new skills and changing attitudes. The goal is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement. Think about how to accomplish the goal and if you have the tools/skills needed. If you don’t currently possess those tools/skills, consider what it would take to attain them.

R – Relevant

How does your goal the mission tie into the needs of you personally, your family, your local community, and/or your global community.

T – Time-Bound

Anyone can set goals, but if it lacks realistic timing, chances are you’re not going to succeed. Providing a target date for deliverables is imperative. Ask specific questions about the goal deadline and what can be accomplished within that time period. If the goal will take three months to complete, it’s useful to define what should be achieved half-way through the process. Providing time constraints also creates a sense of urgency

ROAD MAP

The next step is creating a road map.  What step by step processes that you are going to take to reach your goal?  Many resolutions don’t happen because there it no action plan. It’s kind of like driving to a destination without a map.  Your resolution needs a map.   If your map is not effective, guess what, you have permission to change your map and plans.  At least, you have a ways to get their.

ACTION, DISCIPLINE, and GRIT

The last step is actually doing something about.  You can have a goal and you can have a plan but if you don’t have the discipline and grit to get out of bed, get out of the house, and face your unresolved matter, change will never happen.  Discipline and grit is key in getting to your goal. Without discipline and routine, you won’t develop the habits that you need to get to your goal.  Along the way, you might feel trapped, feel frustrated that something is not working, and make mistakes along the ways.  Those situations are gifts of feedback and they are bread crumbs to help us to get to our goal.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Learn from them and change your strategy up.

FINDING COURAGE IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY

It’s interesting that in years past, I’ve been focused on my professional goals as an educator. Recently, I’ve been seeing how my personal life strongly influences my professional life and so my action plans stem from that connection.  The theme I set for 2018 on December 31, 2017 was to exercise the character strength of BRAVERY.

2019’s theme is the year will be PERSEVERANCE.  This is will be crazy year where I will be in the middle of the my National Boards for Teaching process which is a process in which I reflect on my teacher practice.  Managing my time to do this will be a challenge so setting a timeline is needed so I get it done.

YOUR CHALLENGE

In the comment box below respond to the following:

As we are heading into 2019, I challenge you to do the following tasks:

• Watch the following video of and determine which character strengths are your strengths.  How do live up to those strengths on a daily basis?  What character strengths do you need to work on?  Why are those character strengths something you are want to work on?  These character strengths will help you develop your S.M.A.R.T goals.

• Create 1-3  S.M.A.R.T goals related to the character strengths that you need improvement on.  If you have too many goals, you won’t have enough energy dedicated to make sure all those goals are met with quality.  Keep goal creation simple.
• Prioritize those goals and place your goals on a calendar.  The gamification concept of scarcity balanced with empowerment is a powerful combination.  When we set things on a calendar, we give ourselves a timely constraint to make sure those goals are met.  Lack of time pushes us to act immediately.  Because those goals are relevant and personal, we are already empowered to meet those goal.
• Pick 1 goal and brainstorm how you are going to get that goal.  Again, it’s a plan not a law set in stone so you have permission to change it during your journey.
• Find the courage, grit, and passion to wake up and face your unresolved dilemmas and meet your goals.  Let me know how this goes for you.

I want to shower you all with good fortune, good company, love, and good health for the upcoming new year.  Happy New Year and cheers to new adventures.