1. Goal Setting

2. Goals are wishes that are attainable, measureable and that you’ve committed to actually achieving. You may wish you had that Maserati, and would be very happy if you won it, but if it isn’t something you are actively taking steps to purchase, it’s not a goal. WISH  A wish is a statement of desire  things that are intentionally vague and can mean different things depending on circumstances. GOALS  A goal is a pre-defined future point in your life that you want to move towards.  quantify these wishes into something attainable

3. SMART  Specific  Measurable  Achievable  Realistic  Time

4. Specific  The goal should be described as specifically as possible.  A goal of losing weight is not specific.  A goal of losing twenty pounds from a current weight of one-ninety is specific.

5. Measurable  To be effective, the goal must be measurable.  Obviously, weight is measurable, whereas being more generous and working harder at your job are not measurable as stated.

6. Achievable  There's an art to goal setting that revolves around the goal's difficulty.  A good way to decide that a goal is achievable but challenging is to visualize yourself reaching the goal.  Can you see yourself there? Are you energized by seeing the vision? If both of these are not present, revisit your goal.

7. Realistic  Do you have the knowledge, skill set, and competency to reach your goal?  If your goal involves weight loss, do you know all you should know about nutrition, calorie content, and metabolism to achieve your goal?  If not, perhaps your first goal should be to gather this information.

8. Timely  Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by twelth grade.  Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.  If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time.  Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action now. Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.

9. Four Steps to Writing a Goal

10. Step One (1) Write the goal  Write one personal goal and write why this goal is important to you.  Write what the goal looks likes when it is finished.

11. Step Two (2) Outline the Specific Steps to Achieve the Goal  Outline all the steps to achieve the goal.  Each step needs to be broken down into small manageable tasks that you are able to accomplish.

12. Step Three (3) Chart the Obstacles for Achieving the Goal  You will chart the blocks on attaining your goal and write how you will deal with each issue.  This part is excellent because often we do not think of the obstacles in achieving our goals.

13. Step Four (4) Time Frame  You should write an approximate deadline for achieving the goal.

14. THINK!  Think of three short term goals and three long term goals that you want to accomplish.  Write your long-term and short-term goals in notebook.