A New Year Tradition: Setting Goals with My Daughter

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, my youngest daughter and I share a special moment—our annual tradition of setting goals together. For the second year in a row, we’ve taken time to reflect on the past year and set our intentions for the year ahead. This simple ritual has not only brought us closer but has also given us both a sense of purpose and focus as we step into the new year.

The Tradition: Goal-Setting Together

This year, we decided to make picking out a new goal book (Amazon) and journal as an official part of our tradition. My daughter loves heading to the store, carefully choosing the perfect journal—one that feels just right for her journey ahead. There’s something special about starting fresh with a blank page, knowing it will soon hold our dreams, plans, and milestones. My daughter was so excited to browse through different options, searching for the perfect one that would inspire her throughout the year.

Once we’re settled with our new books, we brainstorm our goals together. But it’s more than just writing things down—it’s about creating something that we can look back on years from now. I can already picture my daughter flipping through these goal books when she’s older, remembering the things she set out to achieve and the steps we took together. These books aren’t just lists of goals—they’re a reflection of our growth and the bond we’ve built along the way.

Looking Back: Our First Year of Goal-Setting

Each year, we are learning and improving on how we create and track our goals. New Year’s Eve 2023 was our first year sitting down and writing out goals. We started with a big white poster board, each claiming a section and writing out five goals. Since it was our first time, we threw out all kinds of ideas before ultimately narrowing them down. Once we finalized our goals, we added fun stickers and labeled it with a giant “2024 GOALS” header.

Here’s what we set for ourselves:

My Goals:

Keep my house tidy
Complete a training
Work out 4-5 times per week
Submit 60 referrals at work
Eat 3-5 servings of vegetables a day

My Daughter’s Goals:

Brush her teeth 2x/day, floss 1x/day
Keep her room clean
Practice multiplication/division 4x/wk for 10 minutes
Make good choices at school
Do something that makes her uncomfortable 3x/month

We started out strong by adding star stickers to our poster each week we made progress. But as the months went on, we realized that good intentions don’t always equal consistent actions. However, what mattered most was that we kept the conversation alive. We frequently talked about our goals, checked in with each other, and reflected on how our days and weeks aligned with what we had set out to achieve.

Lessons Learned and Small Wins

While I didn’t consistently hit all my goals like working out 4-5 times a week (let’s be honest, I didn’t even come close some weeks), I learned a valuable lesson: breaking big goals into smaller, more specific achievable steps is key.

But you know who absolutely crushed one of their goals? My daughter! Her goal of doing things that made her uncomfortable 3x/month was a huge success. Not only did she meet it, but she went above and beyond. Over time, I watched her become more confident in stepping outside her comfort zone. She would come home from school excited to tell me about how she challenged herself that day. Eventually, she started actively seeking out opportunities to push herself, which was incredible to watch.

Reviewing and Revisiting Our Goals

Setting goals isn’t just a one-time thing—we now make it a habit to check in every few months. Life happens, and sometimes our goals shift, so we review our progress, celebrate wins, and adjust where needed. Some goals evolve, and some take longer than expected, but the important thing is staying committed and flexible.

The Impact of This Tradition

More than anything, this tradition has been a beautiful way to connect with my daughter. It has taught us that goals are not just about achievements—they’re about growth, effort, and the joy of taking small steps toward something bigger.

It is also so fun to see the excitement my daughter has for goal setting. A few weeks before this past New Year’s Eve, I reminded her about how we needed to start thinking about our new goals for the year. Her response: “Can we do it tonight?!” Seeing her enthusiasm and eagerness to plan ahead makes this tradition even more special. It’s not just about the goals—it’s about the experience and the memories we create together.

What Are Your Goals for 2025?

I’d love to hear what goals or resolutions you’re setting for this year! How do you plan to make 2025 your best year yet? Drop a comment below, and let’s motivate and support each other along the way!