Goal Setting

Getting Organized About Life

Why do we need Goals?
 Goals give you direction in all areas of your life
– Personal, Career, Spiritual, Material, and
Contribution
 Goals give you a purpose in life. A reason to
get up early in the morning and go to bed late
at night
 Goals will put drive and passion into your life
 Not having goals is similar to sailing a ship
across the Atlantic without a map. Goals, like
maps, help you get to your destination much
faster than sailing though life aimlessly
What Are Goals?
 Goals are something that you want to
achieve in the future. You set goals so
that you can get better at more things,
aim for something in the future and
achieve more during your life.
 Goals are the specific things, tasks or
accomplishments you must complete in
order to achieve the kind of life you
desire.
Types of Goals
 Long Term
 ultimate goal
 Intermediate
 milestones leading to ultimate goal
 Short Term
 smaller steps to be completed
Example
 Long Term
 Become a Renown Researcher and Faculty
member
 Intermediate
 Obtain a Ph.D.
 Short Term
 Graduate from UNL
 Gain Admittance to Graduate School
Setting Goals
 First you must dream!
 Write your ideas down on paper and decide
which ones are the most important to you.
 Review what you have written down on paper.
 Prioritize
 Which of these goals are most important to
you, and why?
 On a fresh piece of paper, write down one goal
at a time. Beside the heading, write down a
deadline for achieving that goal.
 To help achieve the long term goal, set a
timeline using short term goals.
Getting Started
 Where are you now?
 Take a current inventory. You will never know how far
you have to go if you don’t know where you already
are.
 What obstacles do you need to overcome?
 Is there something that may make it difficult to
achieve your goal? Be aware of the obstacle so you
can make plans to overcome it.
Begin with the end in mind
 Know Yourself
 Strengths
 Weaknesses
 Likes
 Dislikes
 Passions
 What makes you Complete
 Goals should be
“SMART”: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic and Timely
Specific
 A goal is specific when you know exactly
what is to be achieved and
accomplished. A simple goal is easier to
understand. Imagine your goal as
specifically as you can. Ask: Who,
where, what, when, how…specifically?
Measurable
 Goals should be quantifiable. Think of
the evidence that will let you know you
have achieved it.
 For example, words like ‘better’ or ‘faster’ are
not quantifiable. “Increase my course grades
by 10%” provides a clear measure for a goal.
 Instead of “I want to do better in all my
classes” try “I will read two chapters of
history by Saturday”.
Achievable
 Goals are self-maintained; the
achievement of the goal is up to you
alone.
 Your goal should clearly speak to things that
you have control over.
Realistic
 Goals are practical and possible.
 Set goals that are realistic for your situation,
your skills, talents and interests.
 Realistic goals are a balance between what is
hard and what is easy to achieve.
 You are the key person here so don't set a goal
that you don't believe in.
 Make sure that you believe you can do it and that it is
possible to do in the time you've set aside.
Timely
 There is a finite duration to your effort, a
deadline.
 For example, “by the end of June” is more
specific than “toward the end of June”.
However, the most precise statement is: June
30, 20XX.
Secrets for Achieving Your Goals
 Be flexible
 Constantly Evaluate Your Progress
 Sometimes our plans change; sometimes
we get sick. Be prepared to reassess and
revise your goal if necessary.
 Never Lose Sight of Your Goal
 review your goals every morning when you
get up and every night before you go to
bed.
 Don’t Procrastinate
 Procrastination is a “silent killer”.
 Understand that the only way to achieve
your goals is to take action!
Secrets for Achieving Your Goals
 A goal can not contradict any of your
other goals.
 For example, you can't buy a $750,000 house
if your income goal is only $50,000 per year.
This is called non-integrated thinking and will
sabotage all of the hard work you put into
your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also
hamper your everyday thoughts as well.
Secrets for Achieving Your Goals
 Write your goal in the positive instead of
the negative.
 Work for what you want, not for what you
want to leave behind. Part of the reason why
we write down and examine our goals is to
create a set of instructions for our
subconscious mind to carry out.
Secrets for Achieving Your Goals
 Write your goal out in complete detail.
 Instead of writing "A new home," write "A
4,000 square foot contemporary with 4
bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the
mountain on 20 acres of land.
Secrets for Achieving Your Goals
 By all means, make sure your goal is
high enough.
 Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll still be
in the stars.
 Put A Date On It - Determine when you
want the goal to be completed.
The Benefits of Goal Setting
 You will notice an increase in your energy
level as you begin to live your life with
passion – the passion that having a
meaningful goal will give you.
 You will be in control of your life and the
direction you are heading. Your life does
not have to be determined by fate alone.
With goals, you create your destiny.
 Goals give you a purpose in life. A
reason to get up early and go to bed late.
 Remember the motto, “The
road to Someday, leads to the
town of Nowhere”. Someday
is today!