It's that time of year again! As we change the calendar to a new year, we're often encouraged to think about what we resolve to do differently in the new year -- how will we improve ourselves or fix our myriad flaws?
Personally, I do find some value in taking advantage of the change in calendar to do a little retrospective and set some goals. But there are a few different ways to look at New Year's Resolutions and they can have a huge impact on how we view ourselves.
- Ignore them completely (admirable, but you may need something to tell your teacher on the first day back to school)
- Focus on what you need to fix (who needs another excuse to think about their flaws? Boo to this!)
- Identify opportunities to grow (I try to land here and check myself if I start to slide into focusing on flaws)
Finding the right approach is especially important when we talk to our kids about resolutions. This is a great time to talk about growth mindset and how we frame our mistakes and failures.
Are you or your kid interested in diving in deeper? There are a bunch of resources on growth mindset available on Khan Academy for all ages!
