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Last week, we talked about why setting family goals can transform your home and help you live with intention, but knowing why isn't really enough to get it done. You need a plan to make it happen. So today we're going to dive into the how behind family goal setting, whether you've never set goals as a family or whether you need a refresh, I've got simple practical steps to get you started.
Hi friends. Welcome back to raising faithful families. I'm your host, Katy Bordeaux, and I'm so excited to continue our three part series on setting goals as a family. Last week we talked about the importance of family goals, how they bring unity, peace, and purpose to your home. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, I recommend checking it out before you dive into this one.
So today we're tackling the how. How do you actually set goals as a family in a way that's meaningful and achievable? How do you get your kids excited about the process? And how do you make sure that those goals [00:01:00] reflect what truly matters to your family? I'll walk you through the steps that I use in my own home.
I'll share tips to make the process enjoyable. And of course we will root it all in scripture. So let's dive in. We're going to break this down into three simple steps. Step one is holding a family goal setting meeting. Setting goals starts with communication. So we can call a family meeting and make it something to look forward to.
Here's some ideas to help set the tone, make it fun, have snacks, play some music, create a relaxed environment so that it doesn't feel like some kind of stuffy presentation. Set expectations. Share why the meeting matters and why you're doing it that you're working together as a team to help create a vision for your family and pray together.
Start the meeting by asking God to guide your goals and help align them with his purpose for your family. Now, what are we going to discuss in this meeting? [00:02:00] What do we want to focus on as a family this year? What do we value most? How can we grow this year? How can we grow in our faith, our relationships, our responsibilities?
Step two is choosing meaningful goals. It's time to get specific. Choose goals that reflect your family's values and your family's priorities. So some tips for choosing goals. Cover all different areas of your life that are important to you. So think about spiritual, think about physical relationships, think about practical goals.
Make them realistic. They should be challenging. They should stretch you in certain ways, not just be a list of things that you're already doing, but also make sure that they're achievable. Get everyone involved. Let each family member contribute ideas so that they feel ownership of the goals. So some examples of family goals could be to memorize one scripture verse together each month.
[00:03:00] Commit to a weekly family devotion night. Plan one family act of kindness every week. Eat dinner together at the table three times a week. Start a new bedtime prayer routine where you spend time talking and reflecting at night and connecting with God. Step three is to write them down and create a plan.
Goals that aren't written down often get forgotten. So make them visible. How to create a plan is to write them on a whiteboard, a poster, a journal, where everyone can see them. Then you can assign roles. Who's going to help with each goal? For example, one person can be responsible for choosing the weekly scripture verse.
Another can plan the family devotion. Break the goals into smaller steps. So for example, if your goal is to serve others as a family, you can start by brainstorming acts of kindness and then choose one to focus on each week. When your goals are clear and actionable, they become a lot easier to [00:04:00] achieve.
When I decided to set our goals and build routines for us this year, I started by looking at our family values. So faith is a big one for us, along with spending intentional time together. We also prioritize growing mentally by learning new things and making healthier choices like eating better and moving our bodies.
One of the things I've learned is that goal setting does not have to be rigid. It's about finding ways to work toward the same values together, even if your tasks towards that look different. So for example, I like to wake up early and walk a mile in the mornings and then do a 20 to 30 minute workout at home in the evenings.
My son, he's naturally more active and he prefers exciting high energy activities for his physical time. But he's also a mama's boy who loves to help me. So we have found ways to combine our goals. When I'm working out in the evenings, he joins me super often. Sometimes he'll do the workout with me.
[00:05:00] Sometimes he'll help me by just counting out my reps. But those moments become more than just accomplishing a task on my list, they're also intentional time together. During rest periods, we get to chat and be silly and have fun. On a really busy day, this time can check off several of the daily goals at once, like habit stacking, something physical, something helpful, even some of our intentional time together.
For his something mental goal, we usually read together, but on days that we're really short on time. I might ask him math questions or review something that he's learned recently. The point is we stay flexible while still working toward our shared family goals. Even though we often have different routines and tasks, we're heading in the same direction.
And when someone else is on board with what you're trying to accomplish, you get built in accountability. We both feel a sense of accomplishment as we check things off, build good habits, and work together to encourage each other. [00:06:00] It's these small shared moments that strengthen our bond and keep us moving toward what matters most.
Proverbs 16 verse 3 reminds us to commit to the Lord whatever we do and He will establish our plans. God doesn't call us to live in isolation. He designed families to work together, to build each other up, and to fulfill His purpose for them as a team. One of my favorite examples of this is found in the book of Nehemiah.
When Nehemiah was called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he couldn't do it alone. The task was massive. The people were disheartened. But Nehemiah inspired the Israelites by giving them a shared vision and clear roles. The incredible part is that families were at the heart of the rebuilding. In Nehemiah 3, we see that the work was divided among families, with each family responsible for repairing specific sections of the wall.
Fathers worked alongside their sons. Entire households contributed to [00:07:00] the effort. By involving families, Nehemiah created unity, purpose, and accountability. God used Nehemiah to create unity, purpose, and accountability. Each family knew their role was vital, and together they accomplished something incredible for God's kingdom.
When we set goals as a family, we're modeling these same biblical principles of unity, teamwork, and faith. We're reminding each other that every member of the family has a role to play. And that we can achieve more together than we ever could on our own. Now getting kids to be excited about goal setting can be tricky, so here are some tips.
Make it age appropriate. Younger kids might focus better on simple goals like helping with chores. Older kids can actually handle more complex goals like budgeting or planning an outing, and they should get to learn how to increase their responsibility like that. And celebrate the wins. Acknowledge your progress and make a big deal out [00:08:00] of the achievements, no matter how small they are.
Most importantly, lead by example. Show your kids that you're working towards goals too, and your actions will inspire them. If you're ready to create a calm, connected home where goal setting is just the beginning, I'd love to invite you to join the Calm and Confident Club. This month only when you join for just seven dollars.
You'll also get access to my leadership inspired parenting program that's normally 97, completely free. This program is packed with tools to help you set meaningful, shared goals, figure out your values as a family, motivate your kids in ways that resonate with who you are and who they are. Lead your family with clarity, confidence and intention.
There's hundreds of dollars worth of resources to transform your home at your fingertips for just 7 today. So head to the show notes to learn more or the description on this video. This special bonus is only [00:09:00] available for a very limited time, so please don't wait. Let's make this the year that your family grows closer than ever.
Now this week, I challenge you to sit down with your family and set one shared goal. This can be as simple as committing to eat dinner together twice a week, or planning one family outing for connection this month. Write it down, pray about it, and take the first step toward achieving it. Next week, we'll wrap up the series with how to keep your family motivated towards shared goals.
Thank you for joining me today on Raising Faithful Families. If this episode inspired you, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. If you're on YouTube, please subscribe and leave a comment to share your goals so we can cheer each other on. This will only take a few seconds and it helps more families discover and benefit from the show.
So I truly, truly appreciate you taking the time to do that. Remember that your family has a unique calling from God. Let's live it out with [00:10:00] intention. I'll see you next week for part three. Take care and God bless.
