GOAL SETTING
What is a goal?
• “the result or achievement
toward which effort is
directed; aim; end”
Quote
• “The process of setting goals helps you choose
where you want to go in life. By knowing
precisely what you want to achieve, you know
where you have to concentrate your efforts.
You’ll also quickly spot the distractions that
would otherwise lure you from your course.
More than this, properly set goals can be
incredibly motivating, and as you get into the
habit of setting and achieving goals, you’ll find
that your self-confidence builds fast.”
S. M. A. R. T. Goals
• S = Specific: Don’t be vague. Exactly what do you
want?
• M = Measurable: Quantify your goal. How will you
know if you have reached it or not?
• A = Attainable: Be honest with yourself about what
you can reasonably accomplish at this point in your
life – be sure to take into consideration your current
responsibilities.
• R = Realistic: It has to be doable, real and practical
• T = Time: Associate a time frame with each goal.
When should you complete the goal?
Benefits of
Goal Setting
• Make you aware of your weaknesses so you can begin to improve them
and make them into strengths
• Serve as a guide in making decisions
• Make you aware of your own strengths
• Improve your self-image
• Give you a sense of past victories of goals accomplished and motivation to
succeed in current goals
• Help you visualize and plan actions to achieve what you want – and then
carry out those plans
• Makes you responsible for your own successes or failures
• Define real life actions – separates it from just wishful thinking
• Forces you to set priorities, therefore helping you to limit getting involved
in distracting things
• Give you a “track to run on” – a path to follow so you know where you are
going
EXCUSES FOR NOT SETTING GOALS
• Fear of losing – many people do not set goals because they are
afraid they will be criticized for not reaching them
• Predictability – many people feel threatened by change and resist
goal setting because it may be uncomfortable to try something
new or different
• Fear of winning – odd as it may seem, some people do not set goals
because they cannot imagine themselves being capable of handling
the new behavior or success
• Belief in miracles – many people sit back and wait for miracles
instead of setting goals and taking action to accomplish them
• Time constraints – many people think it takes too much time to set
goals - but think of the wasted time when you are “out in left field”
doing things unrelated to your real purpose
• Conditioning – many people are conditioned so that after they
have done something a certain way, it becomes a habit