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Children and Goals
Kim Eskola

Building an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit in our children can be an incredible tool to develop Godly character in our children.

First, we need to be aware that we must have, and maintain, a vision for our children. If you aim at a mark that is foggy and vague, you will likely spend much time searching for your target and hitting nothing.

If you don't have a sure vision for your family, then sit down and write out your family vision and goals. These goals will be unique to your family and no one can tell you what your particular goals are. The goals should include much about the types of character you desire for each child.

The most important gift we can give our children is great character!

They are going to need life skills that will enable them to go in any direction they want. After carefully considering the scriptures, you should be able to determine what your personal goals for each child are.

These goals you come up with may change over time. You must be constantly evaluating where you are headed and if the results are that which you have desired to see in your children. You will want to include training in a particular life skill as well.

Make sure you are hitting your mark!

If training your children in finances and entrepreneurship only ends up producing greedy or money loving children, then you know you are missing God's vision for us to raise children that have servant's hearts and that are willing to put others before themselves.

Perhaps you will sometimes have to determine if certain methods that worked for someone else are necessary or unfruitful for your child. Christians must keep their eyes on the future and keep all in check as to God's vision for the family.

When you have your goals written down, place them where they will be seen daily. Such as your bathroom mirror, on your desk or in the front of your Bible. You will quickly forget where you are heading if you are not reminded.

We must be proactive! Good character does not just happen.

You may even need to write out specific steps to reaching each particular goal. For example, having a goal of losing weight and getting in shape may mean that you have to plan a particular exercise routine, choose a time schedule for exercise, and decide what types of foods you will eliminate from as well as add to your diet, etc.

It is a proven fact that the more specific we are when setting our goals, the more likely we are to achieve each one of them. Be sure to mark each one as accomplished as you achieve it. Have a chart that will help you see progress and be encouraged.

Perhaps you could use a separate folder for each child. You will likely have different individual goals for each child or at least for each gender. The means to reach these goals will likely be very different because each child has a unique personality and must be dealt with differently. Just as our heavenly Father deals with each of us differently. There is much wisdom to be sought in dealing with our children. Much prayer will go into each decision.

Include your children in making your family goals for the year. They will be far more likely to take an interest if they have had an input. Post your family goals where all can see them . You can point to this and ask the child (or children)if their behavior is conforming to your family vision.

I encourage you to have each child keeping their own folder or chart with their own goals and projects. This will teach them to have goals and how to achieve them as well. They will learn how to model those that are successful this way- because they will be modeling you and you will be successful! They will see progress and be encouraged!

An entrepreneurial mindset is a very desirable and noble goal in training children. Keeping written goals will give you direction and help maintain the focus where it needs to be.

It will also help eliminate the "fat" from your family schedules as we develop a sense of what it is our family should be accomplishing. We will begin to notice those things in our lives that suddenly do not seem worthwhile in light of our family vision (like television). It will become easy to choose to leave these things behind.

Press ever forward in your God given vision for your family and the blessings will be abundant.

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