Why You Should Set Goals As A Family
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[00:00:00] Your family has a unique calling from God. Are you living with intention or are you just going through the motions? Most families aren't struggling from a lack of love. They're struggling because they're unintentional. Today we're going to talk about why setting goals as a family can transform your home and bring you closer to God's plan for your lives.
Hi, friends. Welcome back to Raising Faithful Families. I'm your host, Katie Bordeaux, and I'm so excited to kick off this three part series on setting goals as a family. Today's episode, part one, is all about why setting goals as a family is so important. We often think about setting personal goals, whether it's New Year's resolutions, I'm Health goals, career ambitions, but how often do we think about setting goals together as a family?
If you've ever felt like your family is just kind of coasting through or even like you're constantly juggling responsibilities but never really [00:01:00] getting anywhere meaningful. Never really feeling like you're on the same page. This episode is for you. We're going to talk about how setting shared goals can bring unity, peace, and purpose to your home.
I'll share some personal stories, scripture, and practical takeaways to help you make intentional family goal setting a reality. So let's dive in. Let's start with the big question, okay? Why should we even set goals as a family? Well, if we aren't actively working towards any shared goals as a family, we can slowly drift apart without even realizing it.
None of us want that. Life is busy. Everyone has their own schedule, their own priorities. It's easy to focus on what's right in front of us personally. But over time, this can really cause distance in our relationships. Goals are how we're going to stay connected. They give your family a shared sense of direction and purpose.
Instead [00:02:00] of feeling like you're just trying to get through the day, goals create opportunities to work towards something bigger together. And that process of working together, it builds connection, communication, and trust in ways that day to day life just doesn't. Think of your family like a company for a second.
Everyone has their own individual tasks, interests, and goals, but the company also has shared goals that help guide its overall direction. Thank you. Now, if everyone in a business was focused only on their own work without having any shared objectives, the company would never move forward as a whole. The same is true in our families.
Each of us has our own lives. Kids have school, parents have work. We all have personal interests, but without shared goals to unite us, it's easy to drift apart without even realizing it. Family goals aren't losing individuality. They're creating connection and just [00:03:00] making sure we're all growing in the same direction.
I don't want us to ever wake up one day and realize that we've been so busy keeping up with our own lives that we've missed out on what matters most, our connection with each other. I want you to think about your family as a team. Would a sports team ever walk on a field without a game plan? No way.
They have a strategy. They know what they're working toward, and they know each player's role in achieving that goal. The same is true for your family. Without shared goals, you're making it way too easy to drift apart. But, when we take the time to come together and set clear goals, we create alignment and unity.
We become intentional about what we're working toward as a family, which gives us direction, peace, and joy. And purpose. Let me be real with you. Life can get overwhelming. I know that [00:04:00] in 2024 things got chaotic for me in a way that I haven't felt since 2020 when I was newly separated, had just moved, had just changed jobs, was in too much debt to make ends meet and going absolutely insane because I had to spend time away from my son who was still breastfeeding in order to make custody work.
So in 2024. Still a single mom working full time, running a business and pursuing my doctorate. There's never a moment when I don't have something on my to do list that I could be doing. It's a constant balancing act between responsibilities at work, school, home, business, all of the things All while making sure that I'm showing up in my faith and showing up for my son.
The second I stopped being intentional, everything falls apart. Everything's chaotic and I'm just surviving. If I'm not intentional, I could easily get lost in that endless to do list and miss out on precious time with my son [00:05:00] that I can't get back. And on the flip side, if I have no structure, I'd spend all my time with him and totally drop the ball on other responsibilities that I've also been called to store in this season.
The moment last year that made me realize something had to really change was when I saw the ripple effect of my scattered schedule. Work would keep me up too late, which would keep my son up too late, which made the mornings kind of a disaster. I'd struggle to get to work on time, and then if he had a tough day at school for whatever reason, no matter what the reason was, I felt responsible because I didn't set us up for success.
And yet I'd be so drained that I wouldn't have the energy to stay on top of things and prevent that cycle from repeating. Now we'll say it doesn't take me too long to learn something needs to change and take action on that. So that's when I decided I had to make some changes. I realized that if I wanted our home to feel more peaceful and connected, I couldn't just [00:06:00] hope that it would happen.
I had to To set goals that would align my time and energy with what mattered most to us as a family. But I wanted those goals to be God inspired and God led. Because if you incorporate God in your goals, you can't fail. Because He's telling you what to do. He's keeping you on the path that He has for you.
So here's what that looks like. I started getting up two hours earlier so that I could take care of my time with God, make breakfast, work out, and get ready for work all before my son woke up. That way, when he wakes up, I can be fully present and engaged with him. We start our mornings on this light, relaxed note, not rushing, not yelling, not repeating myself, which sets the tone for the whole day.
We're out the door on time, in great moods, feeling on top of things, and it makes a world of difference. Thanks. I also set evening goals to help manage my time better. I prioritize getting those [00:07:00] must do tasks done before they get a chance to pile up and cut into the time that we need for other important areas.
And I make sure that we both cut off screens an hour before bedtime so we can wind down and spend that time together. But my favorite goal is involving my son in our shared family goals. Every day we each do something physical, something mental, something spiritual, and something helpful. We share goals around prioritizing our health, which is the physical, committing to personal growth, the mental, keeping God first, the spiritual, and being a light to others in the world, helpful.
We often go about these tasks in different ways, like we don't work out. He does something totally different. He does just random jumping jacks or running around playing like recess counts as his physical. I obviously do a separate workout. We obviously read different books. I like [00:08:00] personal growth books.
He likes any kind of books that I read to him and I do my Bible time before he wakes up. His spiritual time is praying together. or reading through a book that teaches us something about God. Our acts of kindness are often completely different too, but we're on the same path. We're heading in the same direction.
We're valuing the same things that God has called us to value as a family. We inspire each other. We hold each other accountable and we keep each other encouraged when it gets hard. That's the beauty of family goals. They create a shared vision, one that aligns your hearts and your time with what truly matters.
They help you stay connected even when life gets busy. And the best part is, you don't have to figure it out alone. So let's bring this back to scripture. Proverbs 29 verse 18 says that where there is no vision, the people perish. When we don't have [00:09:00] a vision, we can just wander aimlessly. But when we know what we're working toward, we have purpose.
Think about Noah's family. God gave them a shared mission to build the ark. They had a goal and they worked together to achieve it. Or consider when Joshua declared, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24 15. That's a family goal that we can all get behind. God calls families to live with intention and purpose.
Setting goals is not just some type of productivity hack. It's a way to align your home with God's calling for your family and stay on the same page. Okay, so what are the benefits of setting family goals? Number one, it strengthens your bond. When you set goals together, you're creating shared experiences.
You're working towards something as a team and that builds connection. Number two, it teaches kids to live with intention. [00:10:00] Your kids are watching you. When they see you setting goals and working toward them, they learn how to live with purpose and intention. And number three, it brings peace to your home.
Goals help you reduce chaos and focus on what really matters. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could do, You're intentional about choosing what to do. Now I know what you might be thinking. This sounds great, Katie, but how do I actually make it happen? I know how hard it is to juggle everything life throws at you.
You carry so much responsibility and it's easy to feel like you're just trying to get through the day. If you've ever felt that way or feel like you're not showing up as the calm present parent that you want to be, I want to take a moment to invite you to join the Calm and Confident Club. This is my monthly membership that teaches you how to go from feeling chaotic and overwhelmed to calm, [00:11:00] confident, and intentional in your parenting.
The heart of the club is the Calm Method, a simple, biblically based framework to help you feel more grounded, connected, and clear on your priorities as a parent. And because I want to start this year off strong and help you start this year off strong. I'm offering a special bonus for this month only.
When you join the common confident club this month, January for just 7. You'll also get my leadership inspired parenting program. Absolutely free. This program helps you recognize and leverage your unique leadership style as a parent. To create a home that really works for your family. You'll learn how to set these shared family goals, how to motivate your kids in ways that resonate with who they are and how to lead your family in a way that really stems from a deep understanding of Who they are, who you are, and what works best for you, giving you the clarity and confidence that [00:12:00] you deserve.
It's about embracing your God-given strengths and learning how to apply them to create that peace, purpose, and joy in your home. So head to the show notes or the description if you're watching on YouTube to join us inside. That's a special link. I would love to see you there. Let's make this the year that your family grows closer than ever.
Okay, so we've talked about why family goals are important. What's next? Next week, we're going to dive into how to actually set goals as a family. We'll cover how to hold a family goal setting meeting, how to get your kids excited about the process, how to create meaningful, achievable goals. But for now, I want to give you a quick challenge.
Before next week's episode, I want you to take a moment and reflect on your family's vision. What matters most to you as a family? What values do you want to instill in [00:13:00] your children? What would success look like for your family in the next year? Take some time to pray about it. Talk with your spouse, talk to your children, talk to your family members or a trusted mentor.
Thank you for joining me today on raising faithful families. If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe on whatever platform you're tuning in from and leave us a five star review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps us reach more families who are striving. To raise their kids with faith and purpose.
Like you and I remember your family has a unique calling from God. So let's live it out with intention. I'll see you next week for part two of our family goal setting series until then take care and God bless.
