Setting and Achieving Goals (Part 4)

Write goals in several areas of life. People who set goals in only one are of life – such as their career – can find that their personal growth becomes one-sided. They could experience success at work while neglecting their health or relationships with family members and friends.

To avoid this outcome, set goals in a variety of categories. Consider what you want to experience in your:

·         Education	·         Social life
·         Career	·         Spiritual life
·         Financial life	·         Level of health
·         Family life	·         Love life

Add goals in other areas as they occur.

Reflect on your goals. Each week, take a few minutes to think about your goals. You can perform the following “spot check”:

·         Check in with your feelings. Think about how the process of setting your goals felt. Consider the satisfaction you’ll gain in attaining your objective. If you don’t feel a significant emotional connection with a written goal, consider letting it go or filing it away to review later.

·         Check for alignment. Look for connections between your goals. Do your short-term goals align with your mid-term goals? Will your mid-term goals help you achieve your long-term goals? Will your mid-term goals help you achieve your long-term goals? Look for a “fit” between all of your goals and your purpose for taking part in higher education, as well as your overall purpose in life.  

·         Check for obstacles. All kind of things can come between you and your goals, such as constraints on time and money. Anticipate obstacles and start looking now for workable solutions.

·         Check for immediate steps. Here’s a way to link goal setting to time management. Decide on a list of setting to time management. Decide on a lift of small, achievable steps you can take right away to accomplish each of your short-term goals. Write these small steps down on a daily to-do list. If you want to accomplish some of them by a certain date, enter them in a calendar that you consult daily. Then, over the coming weeks, review your to-do list and calendar. Take note of your progress and celebrate your successes.