Beyond My Wildest Dreams “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” ~Langston Hughes Created by Mrs. Kim Fisher - Greeley West High School

Why should you write down your dreams and goals ?  It is an important towards achieving them.  It is an important first step towards achieving them.  Writing them down forces you to them.  Writing them down forces you to visualize them.  The act of writing them down on your part.  The act of writing them down creates a commitment on your part.  Writing your goals to scan the environment, looking for opportunities that will take you toward your objectives.  Writing your goals primes your brain to scan the environment, looking for opportunities that will take you toward your objectives.

Some interesting statistics …  Only about 3-5% of the population actually takes the time to write down their goals and dreams.  One study said the chances of things happening for people who write things down are 50 times greater than for those who don’t.

Case in point… At a 10-year reunion of a group of college students, it was discovered that about two percent of the graduates had more money than all of the rest combined. What was the common denominator?

Goal Setting! That top two percent had written down their goals during college and had continued to write them down. They were the only ones who wrote goals, and it was determined that this is what caused them to be more successful than the other graduates.

Who wants to be a millionaire?? One multimillionaire attributes her success to the fact that she wrote on a yellow legal pad six things she wanted to accomplish each day.

Planning helps to keep you focused!

What exactly IS a goal? One definition is: an ongoing pursuit of a desired outcome until it is accomplished.

If you want to get better at setting and achieving goals, here’s an acronym that will help you focus and have more success reaching your objectives. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals!

S.M.A.R.T. stands for: S pecific M easurable A ttainable R ealistic T imely

S pecific Achieving goals demands focus. Your mind needs specific targets to work effectively. It can’t operate well with vague generalities. State exactly what you want to accomplish.

Example: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” A specific goal would be, “I will join a health club and workout 3 times a week.”

M easurable You have to have a way to measure your progress towards your goals. These might be weekly or monthly steps you take towards reaching your goals.

Example: A non-measurable goal would be, “Save money.” A measurable goal would be, “I will save $50 a month for 6 months to buy the $300 TV I want for my room.”

A ttainable When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely.

R ealistic A goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work.

What’s realistic to you may not be to someone else. Your goal has to be within the realm of YOUR believability. Your goal has to be within the realm of YOUR believability. If you can’t envision yourself doing it, you won’t. If you can’t envision yourself doing it, you won’t.

T ime-defined A goal must have a target date. Set a deadline for your plan of action.

A deadline too far in the future is too easily put off. A deadline that’s set too close is not only unrealistic, it’s discouraging.

A couple of other tips… Write your goals in the positive. Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Begin each sentence with “I will.” This helps to create the commitment you need to succeed!

To get you started, here are a few questions that can help you gain focus.  What do I want to do ?  What do I want to have ?  Where do I want to go ?  What contribution do I want to make?  What do I want to become ?  What do I want to learn ?  Whom do I want to spend time with?  What do I want to do to improve my health ?

As you begin thinking about your goals, ask yourself WHY you want to achieve that particular goal. Knowing the benefits--the “what’s in it for me”--will help you maintain the necessary persistence, dedication, and enthusiasm!

Don’t be afraid to DREAM BIG! After all, nothing is… Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!!

Works Cited Everything in this presentation is quoted directly from one of the following sources: Angler, Michael. “Setting SMART Goals.” Angler, Michael. “Setting SMART Goals.” Beck, Martha. “Wildly Improbable Goals.” Beck, Martha. “Wildly Improbable Goals.” Burgess, Ken. “Why Most People Will Never Reach Their Goals.” Burgess, Ken. “Why Most People Will Never Reach Their Goals.” Dunn, Pamela. “How to Create a Master Plan for Success.” Dunn, Pamela. “How to Create a Master Plan for Success.” Meyer, Paul J. “Attitude Is Everything.” Meyer, Paul J. “Attitude Is Everything.” “Why Writing Your Goals Is So Important.” setting-guide.com/writing-goal. “Why Writing Your Goals Is So Important.” setting-guide.com/writing-goal. setting-guide.com/writing-goalwww.goal- setting-guide.com/writing-goal