One day at Camp Grandma, Jake spoke up after all the presentations were done and said, “Hey, everyone, let’s all say what we want to be when we grow up. I’ll write down your answers.”
Katie started, “I want to be a children’s book author or a YouTuber.”
Jack went next. “I want to be a voice actor or a video game designer or a comic book author.”
Then Lauren, nine at the time, spoke up. “From now to thirteen, I want to collect Shopkins. I want to be a surfer person in my teens. In my twenties and thirties, I want to be an actor. In my forties and fifties, I want to work at Great Wolf Lodge. Sometime in my fifties I will start being an artist and continue with that.” I had to laugh at the specificity of it all.
Jake said he wanted to become an astronaut and be the first man on Mars.
“Leave it to Jake,” said Jack. “He’s shooting the highest of all of us, figuratively and literally!”
“Those all sound great! Now, how are you going to get there?”
They looked around the table at each other, then to me. “Go to school?”
“That’s a good answer and a good place to start. But here’s another,” I said. “You plan for it.”
When I was working, we did business plans annually. We usually did those plans at the end of the year so we could start off the New Year with our plans in place. It’s a very good practice that many smart businesspeople do to help them be successful. Very simply, on a piece of paper or in a notebook, you write down your goals and what it will take to reach them. Do you have obstacles to overcome? Do you need support or help from others? How will you measure your progress? Those are good things to think about when writing your plan. Then you review your plan throughout the year to make sure you are on track and staying focused. That is how you are assured you will reach your goal.
When I explained this to the kids, their response was typical: “But we are not in business, and we are not grown-ups!”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to be either one to start planning. It’s a good exercise for your mind. It gets you thinking ahead at any age. Think about it as preparing for the future because a plan helps you get where you want to go. A plan helps make your wishes and dreams come true. Let’s do one together now.
“We can begin by just describing what you’d like to accomplish next year. School starts soon. What do you hope to achieve in your new grade level? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want to get good grades? Do you want to play a sport or be in a school performance? Just start writing down your intentions and what you would like for next year. Here is a brand-new notebook and pen for each of you to begin. Take your time, no rush.”
They started writing without further questions. Finishing, they closed their books and ran off to play—escape at last. Only the oldest, Jack, stayed seated in deep concentration. Finally satisfied, he closed his book and handed it to me.
With all their notebooks in hand, I leafed though, taking stock. Jack (fourteen at the time of this exercise) had fifteen entries, ranging from personal growth to academics and sports. Katie (age eleven) wrote five, including a Christmas gift wish. Jake (age twelve) wanted to get a degree in math (of course, as would any future astronaut), and Lauren (age nine) wrote down five goals, all about relationships and people she cares about.
We would review these a few months later, after they were well into the new school year. We will check the progress and reexamine and modify if need be. These rechecks are important to do periodically. In my working career, I saw too many business plans go into a manager’s bottom drawer and never surface again. Not with this grandma! A plan is worthless unless it is revisited. If you are serious about meeting goals, then keep them clearly posted and top of mind. This can motivate you to stay focused on what you want to accomplish.
Do you know what I find amazing? From what I’ve read and observed, very few people actually write down their goals or do any sort of written plan. This is such a shame. A written plan is like a road map of where you want to go and how you intend to accomplish it step-by-step. It provides focus and clarity and can keep you on track. Why drift? You can get so much more out of life when you plan it with intention.
Another day several months later we were together at Camp Grandma, and as we were doing our agenda, I suggested we add business plans so we could each review and revise our plans, discussing any challenges to overcome. Katie was the facilitator and was writing on the white board. As she finished the agenda, I looked it over.
She had written:
1. Agenda
2. Pep Olympics
3. BBP
4. Brownies
5. Jake’s question
I said, “Hey, Katie, what is number three, BBP? I think you forgot business plans.”
“No, I didn’t,” she giggled. “Number three stands for ‘boring business plans’!”
LOL (something I learned from them). Okay, I get it. Of course, I never said business plans were exciting, only important. Truth be known, most adults in business would agree with her. I think I’ll start calling them boring business plans myself from now on.
Call it business planning or life planning, it doesn’t really matter. Fundamentally, planning is about respecting your time and that of others. Whether you are organizing your activities for the day or your goals in life, understanding that there is only so much time available and wanting to make the most of it is critical to success.
• Self-respect by learning their time is valuable
• Analytical thinking by identifying what actions will lead to what you want?
• How to set goals
• The concept of time management
• How to self-assess
Just paper and pen or pencil for business planning or life planning. For each grandchild you may want to invest in a journal or notebook that he or she can work with on an ongoing basis, adding intentions and goals as the years go by.
A flip chart or chalkboard is fun to use for when you are simply spending time with your grandchildren and want to plan your day. Write out an agenda for your time together. Discussing and planning together gives everyone input—they feel heard—and that makes them invested and more willing to participate in the experience.
Meeting with your grandchildren one-on-one, sit down together and hand your grandchild a new notebook and pen.
If you feel your grandchildren are old enough to understand, say at least eight or nine years old, then explain that to meet one’s goals or help make one’s dreams and wishes come true, it helps to write them out.
1. In your own words, explain that stating and writing out objectives helps in identifying where you want to be or what you want to accomplish. It provides clarity and gives a person direction.
2. Ask them to write down what challenges or obstacles they think they might run into. This is important and will help prepare them for what they may encounter.
3. Ask them to identify what resources they think they will need to meet their goals. Might they need help in buying materials? Do they need help with transportation in getting to a special class or lesson?
4. Now, with their focused attention, they can plan a course of action or plan of attack. An example: “I want to learn to play the guitar next year. I will commit to practicing every afternoon after school for thirty minutes a day, and I’ll ask for lessons for my birthday.”
An hour or so when you first get started. Although it may be easier to do face-to-face, this can be done over the phone or through written correspondence. The follow-up can be thirty minutes or so, but take as much time as needed to make this a worthwhile activity. If you take it seriously, so will they.
• This is an activity best suited for children once they start school, ages eight and older. With very young children who can’t yet write, you can still start the process. Begin by asking them simple questions like, “What do you want to do now that you are five years old?” Write down their remarks and keep them to review again, maybe when they turn six.
• Keep it simple.
• An easy place to start is at the beginning of a new school year. Ask them what they would like to accomplish in the upcoming year. Then set up a time in your calendar, say every three months, to review with them their entries in their notebooks. Reassessment allows you to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
• Be a role model: share with your grandchildren a plan you did for yourself. Review it with them periodically at the same time you review theirs (a good way to keep you both accountable).
• Planning doesn’t always have to be done in a formal manner. In the course of conversation you can help them consider time in a meaningful way by just discussing what you want to accomplish during the time you share together.
For example, I remember the day I took my two granddaughters to Disneyland. In the car I asked them, “What are your favorite rides, and if you could only go on one, what would it be?” From there we worked out a plan for our day, listing the order of our activities based on personal wishes, location within the theme park, and so on. This ensured everyone got to go on their favorite ride or see their favorite attraction, and we had time to eat and shop for souvenirs. My granddaughters did the planning; I just asked the questions.
