“I love achieving goals.  I love not only reaching a mark I’ve set for myself but exceeding it.  Doing more than I thought I could, that’s a great feeling.  There’s nothing like it.  I think it’s so important to set goals for yourself.  It gives you an idea of where you want to go and how you want to get there.  If you don’t aim for something,  you’ll  never know whether you could have hit the mark.”

MOONWALK

Michael Jackson

Michael often wrote the goals he had set for himself  on little pieces of paper and then taped them to his bathroom mirror.  Each morning when he was brushing his teeth and shaving, getting ready for his day…there were the little pieces of paper reminding him of what he  wanted to achieve.  One day, while researching, I came across this detail, and I must admit, I froze.  The brilliance in its simplicity…what a fabulous idea.  I immediately thought of children.  Behaviors are acquired over time, practiced until they become second nature.  I had no doubt that if I were still in the classroom, I would have encouraged my children to begin this habit of a lifetime.

Michael often referred to the wisdom of children, and, I can tell you, I have seen it first hand over many decades.  A young child can begin to take on positive actions at very early ages…goal-setting is a case in point.

I have always believed that if we truly want children to learn, we must be the role model of whatever it is we are teaching.  The old adage:  “Do as I say, not as I do!” has failure written all over it.  A part of the genius of Michael Jackson is that he faithfully walked the talk.

INNOCENT VOICES is in its infancy…first crawling, and then, walking.  I believe in teaching children goal-setting.  The question that begs to be asked is:  “How do I apply that planning to writing articles?”  If I were working with children, we would carve out a tentative plan…one that will be revisited from time to time, tweaked, discussed, evaluated.  I like the idea of allowing the plan to grow organically.  I have learned from Michael that a project is never really complete…Revisiting, Nurturing and Defining move closer to perfection.

Goal-Setting:  It would be fun to think about these:

~Discovering the joy of books

~Starting a Journal

~Handprints…”It’s my very own!”

~All of Me Bodyprints

~All Mine

Now, I am going to write these out on little pieces of paper and  tape them to my bathroom mirror.  Let’s see if I reach my mark, or even exceed it!

“She (Mother) taught me that my talent for singing and dancing was as much God’s work as a beautiful sunset or a storm that left snow for children to play in.”

Michael Jackson

“Keep on reaching, do it for me.!”

Shine!

Michael Jackson with Jude