Mission: Accomplish a Goal What is an Essential Skills Mission? Missions are a great way to get real life experience while testing your skills. The world is your laboratory, your training ground, your obstacle course get out there and put those goal setting skills to use! Your goal setting mission is to: o Identify your personal strengths and challenges, as well as your values. o Develop three goals- on to accomplish today, one for this month, and on for this year. o Brainstorm strategies to accomplish your goals. o Create a timeline of the things you need to do for longer goals. o Identify obstacles that may interfere with your goals. o Discuss your plan with someone who supports you a mentor, friend, family member, or anyone in your network. o Check in with your supporter after you complete each step towards your goal. Remember these goal setting tips: Set specific goals that can be measured for example, instead of setting a goal to do better at math set a goal to increase your grade from a C to a B. Make sure your goal is something you can realistically accomplish. If you set an unrealistic goal like run a marathon next month it will be too easy to give up on it. Set deadlines for each phase of your goal to keep you on schedule. Do your research. Consider your network. Find out what resources are available to help you work towards your goal. Give yourself goal reminders to keep yourself motivated. These can be as simple as a note on your bathroom mirror, a calendar, a phone reminder in advance of your deadlines, or anything that you will see every day to keep you on track!
Need some help identifying a goal? Use the following Goal Setting Resource to help you out with the process.
Goal Setting Resource There are four main types of goals: very long-term goals (also known as dream goals), long-term goals, mid-term goals, and short-term goals all with a bunch of baby steps in between! Very long-term goal (dream goal): A very long-term goal or dream goal is your ultimate hoped-for achievement. It is what you think of when you close your eyes and imagine the best job you could ever have or the best person you could ever be. Your dream goal could be to play in the NBA, to become a teacher, or to graduate college. Long-term goal: A long-term goal is where you want to be many months or years from now. These goals are steps toward your dream goal, yet they are significant accomplishments on their own. Examples of long-term goals include making the varsity basketball team, getting the lead part in the school play, or graduating from high school. Mid-term goal: These goals include objectives that you want to achieve in a few weeks or a month from now. Mid-term goals can be specific, such as getting a B on a math test, passing English, or having perfect school attendance. Short-term goal: Short-term goals help motivate you on a daily or weekly basis. They should be specific and easy to measure such as getting at least an 85% on Friday s science quiz, being more attentive in class, or bringing a pencil and notebook to class every day. Why are goals so important? Goal setting is a great way for you to actively plan for your future. Clearly articulated goals give you something to aim for in life; dreaming and doing go hand in hand. First, identify your strengths and challenges as a student, person, friend or peer. What are some of your strengths? As a person? As a student?
What are some of your challenges? What do you want to get better at? What Is Important to You? What do You Value Most? Identify your values since these can determine what goals will be a good for you. Review the list of values below and check off the values that are most important to you. Add any of your other values to the list in the blank spaces provided at the bottom. Doing well in school Making money Being healthy Spending time with family Spending time with friends Helping others Learning new things Having fun, playing games, having hobbies Being creative (playing music, doing art, etc.) Using logic (science experiments, math problems, etc.) Solving problems Spending time at home
Exercising/playing sports Enjoying entertainment (watching movie, reading books, etc.) Being happy Having time to yourself Talking with others/socializing Being successful Working hard What are your goals? How are you going to meet them? Start thinking about the goals you would like to achieve. They can be related to school, friends, home, sports, or careers. Then come up with a plan for reaching these goals by identifying a timeline of SPECIFIC steps and deadlines. Remember: Goals are based on what you believe to be important or what you value. Write down some goals that are important to you (look at your values checklist if you need ideas). What is your goal for Today? What steps (SPECIFIC Strategies) will you take to reach that goal today? 1. 2. 3.
What is your goal for this month? What steps (SPECIFIC Strategies) will you take to reach that goal this month? Assign a deadline for each task. 1. 2. 3. What is your goal for this year? What steps (SPECIFIC Strategies) will you take to reach that goal this year? Assign a deadline for each task. 1. 2. 3. Who will MOTIVATE you to achieve your goals? Who is going to help you, remind you, and encourage you to reach the goals that you have set? What is your plan to meet with them?
What are some of the obstacles you may face when trying to reach your goals? How might you overcome those obstacles?