Excuse Me, Sir, Alice Inquires. Could You Tell Me

Keeping your mind over your matters

GOAL SETTING

Your Road Map to Success

“Excuse me, Sir,” Alice inquires. “Could you tell me

which road to take?” Wisely, the caterpillar asks,

“Where are you going?” Somewhat dismayed, Alice responds,

“Oh, I don’t know where I am going, Sir.” “Well,” replied

Caterpillar, “if you don’t know where you are going, it really

doesn’t matter which road you take.”

(Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carrol)

Lets Take a Road Trip

Goal setting CAN help in the pursuit for the final destination.

Before we go anywhere, a little planning needs to be done. Where do you want to go? Let’s drive from Pontiac to Miami Beach in Florida. How are we going to get there? Let’s get in the car and drive! What supplies are we going to need? Sunglasses, some money, snacks for the trip, c.d.’s…….

But don’t forget the map. The easiest way to plan for a trip is with a road map. When using a road map you are in essence setting goals for the trip. The road map can:

· Locate specifically where it is you’re going (long term goal)

· Determine how many planned stops to take along the way (short term goal)

· Tell you roughly how many kilometers to the next destination (daily goal)

· Tell you the alternate routes along the way

· Help locate tourist stops en route (and remember you should always enjoy the journey)

Now, let’s apply this to your future career. Similar questions should be asked of students before they take off into there chosen career path. Where do you want to be at the end of each school year? What are you going to do physically and mentally in order to get there? What skills and tools do you need to acquire in order to reach your destination?

This package of the Mental Toolbox will help you to plan your career journey with consistent use of the goals you set for yourself. This package contains a brief introduction, tips on the presentation of goal setting for you and your career and some exercises to help you build your future road map.

How Exactly Does Goal Setting Help

Good goal setting gives a student an edge in three areas:

1. Goals provide direction

2. Goals provide feedback

3. Goals motivate; provide a daily purpose

Basic Tips for Effective Goal Setting

· Identify both short-term and Long-term goals.

· Identify task goals in addition to outcome goals.

· Take action.

· Evaluate your goals.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail…

How Far Ahead Should You Look?

Effective goal setting entails setting long-term and short-term goals; these goals will identify where you are going and how you are going to get there.

When planning a vacation, you may often think about a dream destination. Where would you go and what would you buy if you had unlimited funds and abilities…Australia, the Caribbean, Europe? As with travelling and many other aspects of your life it is fun to dream. In your future it is also fun and important to dream. Dream Goals allow you to project years into the future without any limits. For example, for many people it may be a dream goal to become a famous athlete or actress.

However, you need to progress from a dream goal to a long-term goal. Long-term Goals are typically one year to numerous years down the road; as with the road map analogy, your goal is the destination. One way to determine a good long-term goal would be to ask yourself “where do I want to be at the end of each school year or at the end of high school?” Examples could include having improved your scores in Math’s or English or working hard to achieve your full potential (your high school diploma).

In order to make the long-term goal seem less daunting, short-term goals are set. Short-term goals are goals set for shorter periods of time compared to long-term. Short-term goals are set for two weeks to a month ahead and they serve as stepping stones for the long-term goals. Setting short-term goals allow you to monitor success towards the long-term goals. So ask yourself “Where do you want to be at the end of the month?”

Finally, short-term goals can often feel far off; therefore, something more within reach is needed to maintain focus and motivation. For these reasons it is also important for you to set yourself daily goals. Daily goals are to be set everyday for school. Setting effective daily goals will help motivate you to achieving your main goal. For example to become a mechanic, a doctor, an actress, a writer, an singer, a computer technician. A good question to ask yourself is “why am I going to school today?” and “how am I helping ME in school for the future?”

Identify Outcome Goals and Task Goals

Effective goal setting necessitates that students set both outcome and task goals.

Most students are good at setting outcome goals; an Outcome Goal is any type of goal that is directed at your end result. Student outcome goals are set when an individual focuses on attaining something in particular e.g. getting a certain grade, writing a report, etc.

Task goals however are what the student has to do (physically and mentally) in order to accomplish their outcome goals. Examples of task goals include, paying more attention in class, asking for help when you don’t understand everything.

Taking Action

Effective goal setting must involve not just a road map but a strategy to keep the goals “real” on a consistent basis.

Without much, if any, motivating from teachers, students are already setting goals (especially outcome goals). When asked, students talk about goals such as wanting to be something or achieve a specific skill. However, your teachers need to help you progress from setting long-term and short-term goals to actually acting on these goals and eventually achieving them.

Once a goal setting map has been established, the next critical piece is to keep YOU accountable for the goals you have set for yourself. Doing this is largely a matter of creativity and finding a means of accountability that will work for YOU! Remember everything you do with your life is for your future, you can either reap the benefits of your actions, in the future OR by not being accountable for your actions now you may regret this in the future…

Some examples of ways to keep goals at the forefront so they are acted upon include:

· Complete weekly goal setting forms

· Developing a goal chart

· Write goals on visible items such as your agenda

· Verbalize goals to friends, teachers and family.

Evaluate your goals

Effective goal setting requires students to regularly evaluate progress towards their future career goals, note successes along the way, and modify your goals if necessary.

Let’s go back to the road map analogy, where the goal is to drive from Pontiac to Miami Beach in Florida. Suppose you take off bright and early in the morning. On day one, your goal is to make it into Maine, USA but, you get a flat tire on the way, which puts you back a few hours because you forgot your jack. At what point, if ever, will you stop to assess your progress and re-evaluate your goals?

Goals are meant to provide direction, give feedback on your progress and motivate you to want to reach your full potential in life. To ensure your goals serve this purpose, goals must also be flexible. It is necessary to evaluate goals at several points during the school year. Set up specific dates for yourself to monitor your successes and to make changes if needed.

Goal Setting Exercise 1

How far should I look ahead?

Long-term goals tell you where you want to go and short-term goals tell you how you are going to get there. Both are important for effective goal setting. Try this exercise to help you break down your long-term goals.

1. What is your long-term career goal for the future?

2. What are the requirements and skills you need to achieve this goal?

What can you do between now and the end of the school year to develop those skills and abilities?

4. What will you do this week to develop those skills and abilities?

5. What can you do in your next class to develop those skills and abilities?

Goal setting Exercise 2:

Moving Beyond Outcome Goals to task Goal Setting

Outcome goals tell you where you want to be, which can help motivate, but, on a daily basis, they do not tell you what you need to DO.

1. Start with an Outcome

Choose something within school you find challenging but not impossible that you can achieve before the end of the school year. Write that goal down in detail here:

2. Moving From Outcome to Task Goals

How can you maximize your chances to achieving your goals? Write down three things you can do in school in order to increase your chances of achieving your outcome goal.

1. I will:

2. I will:

3. I will:

(you have just gone form goal setting to task goal setting)

3. Put your Task goals into practice

What can you do in school between now and the end of the school year to increase your chances of achieving your three task goals? Write down two things to focus on in school that will gear you towards your task goals.

1. In school, I will:

2. In school, I will:

Goal Setting Exercise 3: Stepping Stone Exercise

Write your long-term goal in the oval. The arrows all point towards the goal. Use the arrows as stepping stones and write down your short-term goals that will lead to your long-term goal.

GOAL

Adapted from Mental Skills for Young Athletes by John M. Hogg (1997)

Goal Setting Exercise 4: Make Dreams Reality

In the box provided write down your career dreams. Then underneath write down four things you can do today in school to bring you a little closer to your dreams.

Exercise 5: Shoot for the Stars!

Use the goal setting rocket to help define your dream goals,

Short-term and daily goals.