We’ve all been hearing and thinking about our own personal resolutions for the new year, but what about our goals as catechists? Now is the time to make SMART catechist goals for 2015!
Smart Goal Setting
In his 1937 classic bestseller Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill offers six practical steps for setting and reaching financial goals:
- Set the exact amount of money you desire.
- Decide what you are willing to give in return for your monetary goal.
- Determine a specific date for when you intend on possessing the money.
- Develop a plan to achieve your goal and begin at once whether you are completely ready or not.
- Write down your specific goal.
- Think about your goal every day visualizing success.
Today we realize the importance of being specific with our goals. Whether it’s getting or staying healthy, seeking financial freedom, or spending more time with family, goals need to be quantified and realistic.
SMART Goal Setting
In 1981, the November issue of Management Review introduced the acronym S.M.A.R.T for goal setting. Goals should be adequately:
S – Specific, or significant, stretching, stimulating, simple, self owned, strategic, sensible…
M – Measurable, or meaningful, motivating, manageable, maintainable…
A – Achievable, or attainable, action-oriented, appropriate, agreed, assignable, ambitious, accepted, audacious…
R – Relevant, or rewarding, results-oriented, resourced, recorded, reviewable, robust…
T – Time based or time-bound, time- lined, track-able…
Basically, SMART goals help lead to success based on realistic details.
SMART Catechist Goals for 2015
So, it’s our turn! What SMART goals make sense for us as catechists this year? Reconfiguring the traditional SMART goals, here are some that I have come up with. You may have your own!
S– Spirituality. Stressing a sense of the divine in each session.
M– Methodology. Ensuring that how I approach each session reaches learners.
A– Assessment friendly. Finding new ways to guarantee that my message is understood, embraced, and lived.
R– Relational. Keeping relationships at the front of catechesis.
T– Technology based. Learning new ways to communicate in today’s cultural norms.
What are YOUR SMART Catechist Goals for 2015?
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This is a great post Hannah!!! Would you be willing to share more about your Assessment Friendly goal. How do you know if your message is “understood, embraced, and lived”?
Steve, forgive me, this is a little embarassing, but I thought I was on “Transformed in Christ” as I click on my email but it was your website so that is why I said Hannah. My apologies. 🙂
Good question, William. As I reviewed the post I realized adding SMART goals for each of my new goals might have been appropriate! Perhaps I’ll do a follow up detailing measurable results for each of these, especially assessments.