There are many important reasons to plan for the goals that are valuable to you. But helping another person see the value in goal planning can be more difficult.
When you want a friend, spouse, or child to see why they should goal plan, the best way you can help them is to lead by example. If they see you doing goal planning on a regular basis, they will realize the value it has for you. That can encourage them to plan for their own goals, as well.
People need to see the benefits of planning for their goals, in order to encourage them to do so. Here are some of the ways you can help them.
1. Understanding the Benefits of Goal Planning
To help someone else with goal planning, you first need to understand the benefits for yourself. Planning can help you move toward something important, and help you reach goals you might not have met otherwise. Additionally, goal planning can show you that the dreams you have can come true, with hard work and persistence.
When you realize and internalize the value of these benefits, you can share the importance of that value with other people. That helps others understand why goal planning can be right for them, because they’ll see that they can benefit from it, as well.
2. Has Someone Asked for Goal Planning Help?
If your child, spouse, or friend has asked for goal planning help, that’s good news. It’s a way to help them that they’ve actually asked for, so they won’t be bothered by you offering to assist them. Not everyone wants help with certain aspects of their lives, so it can be hard to know if you should offer.
When someone you care about has asked for help, though, you no longer have to worry about offering your advice and guidance. Try not to overwhelm them with information, but feel free to start sharing your knowledge of goal planning with them so they can choose what’s going to work for them.
3. Can You See How Goal Planning Would Benefit Someone?
Even if your loved one hasn’t asked you for help with goal planning, you might be able to see how it would really benefit them. If that’s the case, try asking if they’re interested in it. You can also show them what you’re doing with your own goal planning, and see how they react to it. If they’re interested in what you’re doing, there’s a good change they’d be interested in learning how it could help them, as well.
People usually want to do better, and they want to get things together and start reaching their goals and seeing their dreams come true. You have an opportunity to show them how they can do that.
4. Everyone Plans and Organizes Differently
When you start helping your spouse, child, or friend with their goal planning, keep in mind that you have to respect the way they do things. Their goals may be very different from yours, and the way they plan and organize will also be different. If you try to get them to do things only the way you do them, you might end up with a lot of frustration and conflict.
The idea is to show them how they can goal plan and why there’s so much value in it. That doesn’t mean telling someone exactly how they have to do it, because there are always many different ways to plan for the goals that are important to a person.
5. Practical Steps Can Help You Approach Goal Planning
No matter how much someone wants to learn about goal planning, they might not know where to start. But there are practical steps you can take to help anyone learn about planning for their goals. Talk with them about writing down their goals, and being specific and realistic with what they want to accomplish.
Once they’ve done that, they can start working on a timeline for completing and reaching those goals. It’s often a good idea to work backward from the goal they want to meet to where they are now. That can show them how to take the right steps toward reaching that goal.
Not only can proper goal planning help your loved ones meet the goals that matter to them, it can also give them a sense of purpose and a belief that they can accomplish much more than they might have thought possible. That’s a great gift to give to someone you care about.
