Goal Setting
Goals:
What are they and why are they important?
goal (gōl)
Definition: 1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective. See synonyms at intention.2. Sports: a. The finish line of a race. b. A specified structure or zone into or over which players endeavor to advance a ball or puck, c. The score awarded for such an act.1
Do you feel like your life is out of control or is just happening to you?
Goals give direction and shape to your life and are a way to express what you think and feel. Stop and take some time to write down what you want to achieve in life! Start small and work your way up.
1. What do I want to achieve this week?
2. What do I want to achieve this month?
3. What do I want to achieve this year?
4. What do I want to achieve in five years?
But these goals don’t happen by themselves! They require careful thought and planning and making decisions that will keep you on the path toward fulfilling your goal.
Do the following exercise!!!
The first step is defining your goal. There are lots of kinds of goals. Goals for school, goals for sports, goals for friendship, goals for family … the list goes on and on! But don’t be overwhelmed. Just take them one at a time and choose a few goals that are most important to you.
The second step is figuring out what steps you need to take to achieve this goal. This can be tricky. Brainstorm about all the things you could possibly need and rank them in order. Say you are trying to start a club. You would need to figure out your mission, who is going to join, where and when you are going to meet and what you are going to do as a group. Try to be as detailed as possible when you write down what you’ll need to reach your goal.
However, there are things that could stop you from achieving your goal. This can be good and bad. If you find that negative things are happening or your parents, adult mentors or trusted friends have said they are concerned about what you are doing, re-evaluate your original plan and think hard about the consequences. Changing your goal could be the best decision. Nonetheless, there are always issues that will come up while you are working on your goal. Talk to a parent or an adult mentor about what you can do to remove the barriers that are standing in your way.
Finally, make sure you have a timeline for when you are going to put this plan into effect! Set deadlines for yourself and stick to them.
Decision making is a critical part of this process. Click here to learn more about decision making!
1 Dictionary.com
2 Adapted from Elkind + Sweet Communications, Inc. Teaching Guide: Setting and Achieving Goals for Grades 5-9