1.2 Establishing Your Goals

Lesson 1.2  Establishing Your Goals

 

Introduction

The Futur, a company of creative entrepreneurs in Santa Monica, California, provides advice in setting goals.  According to this group of experienced business owners, educators, and thinkers, these are the main things to consider when setting goals. The following video provides you with some examples of how to do these tasks so make sure to watch until the very end.   

 Video:  Goal Setting and How to Achieve Your Goals

Why do most people fail at achieving their goals? Set clear goals. Clear goals clear results. Fuzzy goals, fuzzy results.

Source: The Future via YouTube

 

Setting Goals : "Chunking is Power"!

First of all, don’t choose a goal that is too big or too small.  You have to break your ultimate goal down into steps that can be achieved.  This keeps you motivated and focused on the long term goal you have set for the future. Imagine a set of stairs where each step is a small goal leading up to your large, long term goal, at the very top.  You might also visualize setting goals as a pyramid.  You must fulfill smaller goals to build the foundation of your pyramid in order to reach the top of the pyramid, where you will find your ultimate goal.  

Tony Robbins, a famous motivational speaker, says “Chunking is power.”  You don’t want to make your “chunks” too big so that you feel overwhelmed and you bit off more than you can chew.  You don’t want to make them too small because then you won’t have the feeling of accomplishment and overcoming obstacles you need to stay motivated toward your end goal.  

Second, make sure your goal is clear.  It must have measurable results so you know when you have reached your goal.  If the end result of the goal is unclear or fuzzy, how will you know when you have achieved the goal you had in mind?  When obstacles come your way, you might be persuaded to give up or get stuck for a long time without any progress.  Clear goals are essential to gauging progress.  

vision blocks

Image by Wokandapix Links to an external site. from Pixabay Links to an external site.

When you decide on this clear, measurable goal you must write it down.  Put it in writing to hold yourself accountable.  When you see the goal in writing, you will be reminded each day that you have a step to take.  

plan blocks

Image by Wokandapix Links to an external site. from Pixabay Links to an external site.

Finally, assign a deadline to meet your goal.  You must do this to push yourself to work hard toward what you really want.  Be realistic.  You know that some things won’t happen overnight.  You might set a goal that you want to lose weight.  Realistically, you know that won’t happen before the end of the week or even the end of the month.  Talk to your doctor or health care provider and ask them how much you should realistically lose each week.  Then, set your goal based on their expert advice.  Let’s say you want to get an A in your maths class and, currently, you have a grade of C.  You can talk to your teacher to find out how to earn enough points on future assignments and exams to get your grade up to an A.  Realistically, you know that staying up all night to study for one exam will not raise your grade overnight.  Interviewing or getting advice from professionals is a great small goal you can put at the bottom of your goal pyramid.  

Achieving Your Goals

Achieving a goal is a momentous occasion and something to be proud of and celebrate.  However, it is important to understand that it requires several small goals as “baby steps” or “building blocks” to reach a major goal. That’s okay because you can use these smaller goals as a way to measure your progress.  You don’t just wake up one day as a neuroscientist.  You have to take science courses in high school and at university.  You have to get into medical school and pass rigorous exams.  You have to intern and persevere.  It is likely you will need to make sacrifices in other areas of your life in order to make your one dream a reality. 

Sometimes, creating a visual of these building blocks is a good way to maintain your focus and plan your next step.  It helps to keep you motivated to move upward and onward toward the ultimate goal. In the next activity you will build a pyramid to create a visual of small goals, or building blocks, required to reach the pinnacle, or main goal.

  Practice

Taking the first step towards a goal is a foundation to reaching the top, kind of like mountain climbing or the magic staircase in the video.  You can’t stop doing one level when you move on to the next.  You have to keep working on the previous level to stay up to date with your skills and maintain that step in the process of reaching your goal. 

In the following activity, put the steps required to adopt a dog in their logical order.

Setting Measurable Goals

You know now that setting goals is important.  You need to write down what you want to achieve in order to hold yourself to standards and gauge progress.  One of the most important factors in setting a goal is to make sure it is measurable. That means you can measure its completion or progress.  If a goal is measurable, you will be able to specifically identify what you will see, hear, and feel when you reach this goal.  You will have concrete evidence to prove you have attained your goal.  If your parents or teacher or friend asks about your goal, you will be able to explain to them how you know you were successful. 

Take a look at the examples below and determine if they are measurable or not measurable.  

Additional Resources