How to make Christmas fun with your family: The goal-setting process

The goal-setting process and a happy Mother Christmas

Holidays can be a time of arguments, hurt feelings, and frustration, where no-one is happy. The goal-setting process can change that!

This stressful time when you run around trying to make everyone happy, and not succeeding, can change with the use of the goal-setting process. Develop a shared agreement together.  

Have a lovely time with your family over the break. I intend to. I will use the goal-setting process to create a shared vision with my family from the first day we are all together on our road trip. My wish is for peace and respect between us  at all times, and I also want several lovely things for myself.

We are going on a road trip together for the first time ever, and I want to take all the stress, or as much as possible, out of this very special trip we are sharing together. I suggest you too can create a shared family holiday vision by using a goal-setting process with your family.

The holiday goal-setting process with your family is not about what you all want to have, but about what you all want to do. The last time I made a shared holiday vision with my girls by using this goal-setting process and making a mind-map, we did so much more together, and also helped each other realise our individual wishes. They respected my wish to read a book for a whole day without interruption. I respected their wishes too and was surprised and pleased to find most of their wishes were simple things that we could often share. We all went to the beach more often together, we cooked more of their favourite foods together, we saw movies I hadn’t heard of, and relaxed more often together. We all got what most of what we wanted and at the end of our short and precious time together, we looked at our goal-setting process and saw that we had done nearly everything we had wished for!

Tip:

Draw up a mind-map together of all the things you want to enjoy this holidays, using a different color for each of you. When you both want similar things, place a shared arrow between your wishes.

Check out  Tony Buzan for more goal-setting process ideas and ways to use mind-maps to suit you and your family. Mind-maps and the goal-setting process are powerful tools I use together in my personal and coaching life. Also check out www.excellyourchild.com  for more ideas about how to successfully use a goal-setting process with your children.

Warm fuzzies to you all and a fun-filled Christmas.

Anne