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GoalsHaving clear goals helps you to be motivated, and take the right action in order to be successful, whatever success means to you. On this page I'll talk about:What a goal really is. What is a goal?A goal is something you want to achieve. But there are two types of 'achieving', and they make quite different types of goal. One is called an 'outcome' goal, and the other is a 'performance' goal.Outcome goals: "I want to have this or achieve this by such and such date". For example, "My goal is to get grade A in my exams". Once you've got the goal, it's over. You can set another goal or put your feet up and relax. Performance goals: "I will work towards improving my performance by 10% within the next year". For example, "I am going to learn how to study so well that I will be able to do my best in the exams". This type of goal is all about the process of improving yourself. You always have it with you. Athletes usually have performance goals. If you're planning for a race, it's better to have as a goal, "I aim to beat my personal best," rather than, "I aim to win the race." Why? Because you can't tell what the other competitors are going to do. All you can do is do your absolute best - keep improving. Both types of goal are useful, but outcome goals can set you up for failure. What if you did badly in the exams through no fault of yourself - say you were ill? It's very difficult to fail with performance goals. It's best to have some of both. Why should you have goals?They increase your motivation. What makes a great goal?A useful acronym is SMART. S: for Specific. Make your goal very specific in all details. For example, "My goal is to buy a 250cc Honda model XYZ, metallic blue, white leather saddle, brand new. I'll buy it on August 1st and drive straight to Blackpool to celebrate." M: for measurable. That is, will you know when you've got it? Outcome goals are pretty straight-forward, but performance goals require you to test yourself regularly to see if you're on track. With these goals, you should plan to test yourself when you set yourself the goal in the first place. So, how will you know when you've reached your goal? M is also for Mine. The goal must be your own! Quite often people set goals that other people want them to achieve, for example parents may want you to take Maths A level (for some obscure reason), while you really want to do Cooking. Think about it - is the goal yours? A: for Agreeable. That is the goal must be agreeable to anyone else involved. Some goals involve just yourself, but think of the effects on those close to you. For example, if one of your goals is to get fit and you plan to join a gym (parents will pay, won't they?) and go there after school every day, then your family may have something to say about it! R: for Reality. How realistic is the goal? To be most motivating, a goal should have just over 50% chance of being reached. There's a chance you won't make it, so you'll try hard. Have you tried for the same goal in the past and you're having another go? If so, ask yourself what are you going to do differently this time. Remember, it is a sign of madness to do the same thing twice and expect a different result! T: for Time. You should state the time it will take when you set your goal. Make sure that it is challenging. Working backwards. To make a goal really work for you, it's often a good idea to work
backwards from the goal to the present. For example, say you are studying
for GCSEs and you've decided that you want be a Doctor. First, find
out what qualifications you'll need, then which universities you can
go to. Then find out which university you'd prefer and ask them what
their entry requirement are. This will tell you what grades to get at
A-level. From this you can work out what grades you'll need at GCSE
to give you the best chance. Try this backwards approach for all your
goals. 1. What career do I want (and why do I want it)? Here are some examples of goals:Outcome goals. - I will get straight A grades in my exams because I want to get into
the habit of being successful. I'll feel great and my family will be
pleased. Performance goals - I want to get fit. Part of this will involve swimming two days a
week. I'll increase the distance I swim by one length each week. What's holding you back?You may feel that something's stopping you from taking action or setting goals in the first place. It may be that you just don't have belief. It may be that you've just got into unhelpful habits that are too difficult to get out of. It's really important to figure out what holds you back. I talk more about these on the pages Gremlins and Habits
What to doWrite it down. Firstly, write you goal on a piece of card and stick it all the wall where you can see it regularly. Make it big and colourful. Remember to make it SMART. State how you're going to achieve it and what it will feel like once you have or while your working towards it. Secondly, draw a timeline. Write down all the things
that you need to do on the way to achieving each goal and arrange them
on a timeline. [-> next, go to the page on Attitude ] |
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