Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was a huge fan of goal setting? And of course, he was a creative genius! It seems odd to me that these two trait could co-exist in one person, but he surely mastered them both... He set daily goals to motivate himself and here you can see what his daily goal sheet looks like:
With such a simple chart, he set out to achieve the unimaginable through creative problem solving. For example, when he saw a dirty street, he created the sanitation department. He saw a house on fire and created the fire department, and so on and so forth. He never lamented on the problems but instead, set out, using his imagination to find solutions.
I think it was the combination of goal setting, the power of creativity and having a solutions oriented personality that made him a creative genius. Today, Franklin's model of daily goal settings is replicated by well-known business moguls like Richard Branson.
So how as parents can we help our kids with that elusive goal-setting/creativity combo?
No really - I am asking you - how as parents can we help our kids with that elusive goal-setting/creativity combo? LOL!
I am no expert here, I just saw this blog post on Ben Franklin, thought it was cool and began to wonder...
I am going to start by asking my kids at breakfast, "What great things do you plan to do today?" Then when they come to me with problems I will say - "Well, I have my own thoughts on this, but how would you solve it?" And then again at at dinner time, I will ask "What awesome experiences were part of your day today?"
Well, if you are interested then click her to see the awesome blog post that I found on Benjamin Franklin, his achievements and how a simple practice of daily goal settings helped him become one of our greatest founding fathers!
Have a great day!
Melissa
Hi Melissa
The reproduction above appears to be a task list, which is an example of 'process goals'.
These can be extremely motivating and I would like to contrast them with the other form of goal setting which is 'achievement goals'. These would be more like 'I must make a million dollars before I am 30 years old.' or 'I must win American Idol.'
Process goals are much more effective because then what you are doing is a means in itself rather than a means to an end. You are saying to yourself things such as 'today I am going to put my heart and soul into singing because doing so makes me really come alive' rather than 'I am going to practice singing because I want to win American Idol and I cannot be satisfied until I win American Idol'.
Now, it may well be that the person who chooses process goals has a much better chance of winning American Idol because their heart and soul is really into singing itself, and any achievement is just a side-effect of their genuine enthusiasm.
Also, process goals give a consistent, daily sense of accomplishment rather than an all or nothing, win or lose, succeed or fail momentous occasion some time in the distant future.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Process goals focus on completing the single steps and so one does not get overwhelmed by the enormity of the thousand miles.
It is a shame that despite his obvious genius, Franklin helped write one of the biggest mistakes in human history into the Declaration of Independence - the notion of 'the pursuit of happiness' which if taken on board, guarantees perpetual unhappiness.
Happiness cannot be pursued. It is always right here and now.
http://www.happycow.org.uk/thought/pursuit_of_happiness.shtml
Oops, above I meant to say 'an end in itself rather than a means to an end'.
I love the page about Franklin. He seems to have been a very fun loving man - childlike in many ways. Maybe the combination of adult and child - the playful and the organized (the right and the left brain) - working together, creates this love of what you call an odd coexistence. If I wanted to foster a goal-setting mentality and creativity in a child I would look for an activity that used both sides of the brain synchronously.
Thank you for Ben Franklin's daily goal page. It is a great insight into all his accomplishments. However, please don't ask your children at the end of each day to recite to you the wonderful experiences they had. That's like asking, "and what did you do today?". Nothing is the usual answer, and that is the appropriate answer of a self-respecting child. He doesn't have to make a satisfactory account of his life to you.
I love the morning and evening question; 'What good shall I do this day?' and 'What good have I done today?'
Your guaranteed to do something good with your day if you ask yourself these questions - you'd be ashamed not to!
As for goal setting, I find this really useful, and I'm sure it would be a quick and helpful motivator for kids too;
'At the end of the day, make a list of the six most important things you have to do the next day and number them in their order of importance. Cross off each item after finishing it, and go on to the next one on your list. If something doesn't get done, put it on the following day's list.'
Of course I can't take credit, this is Ivy Lee's idea and is over 100 years old - and it's still highly effective!
Perfect work!,
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!,
Benjamin Franklin had a remarkable impact in so many ways, including his goal setting. A Benjamin Franklin article just received the ‘Top 100 Electricity Blogs’ Award http://bit.ly/z8Ckp