This time in my life is incredibly critical. I'm about to graduate college with a degree in Psychology, and I have only a slight idea of what I plan to do hereafter. Because it is so important to map out my future life, I need to adhere to a strict goal setting regime. If goals are simply "whatever an individual is striving to accomplish", according to the textbook, then I at least have some idea (I often discredit myself). Anyway, my basic goal(s) is (are) to graduate college and eventually apply to graduate school and obtain at least a Masters degree. That seems reasonable, right? However, the steps that proceed are where I need some sort of encouragement or helpful guidelines to set my goals processes in motion. After searching Google for "goal setting programs" I came across this website, managed by Mind Tools, which offers several free tips and tricks to help emower someone to begin and to eventually achieve his or her goals. This page on the website lays out many helpful tips of advice. A short video accompanies the website, and in it the CEO explains some basic criteria before planning a goal. The video only touches on the main points that are described in greater detail on the actual webpage.
For this blog I will quickly run through what the people in the video say. Here are some of the important criteria one should follow when planning a goal (not in order of importance):
1) Use positive language when wording your goals
2) Prioritize your goals - this makes them more manageable and realistic
3) Set precise goals to measure achievements (discussed a little in class)
4) Make goals related to performance, not outcomes.
5) WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS (kind of a no-brainer, right?)
6) Set realistic goals
I think the most important one that I have never thought of is # 4. A lot of times you cannot control your outcomes. But if you set your goals to your performance, you are more likely to retain control over your situation, because performance is mostly based on your own controllability and management. Unfortunately, I suffer from forgetting to write things down. If I have trouble with that simple task, then I feel like I have a long road ahead of me. Nevertheless, I am confident and optimistic about what lies ahead. In addition to the abovementioned tips, the website offers a helpful mnemonic device by which to remember your goal planning: SMART
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bounded
Besides the tips I mentioned above, are there other ways that you effectively set and accomplish your goals?
This blog caught my attention because I am also at that cross roads in life where I need to decide what to do after I graduate in May. Sites like this can be very helpful because I have had to jot down notes that indicate what direction I want to go in life and how to achieve that. I am in the current process of applying to graduate schools, and it is terribly stressful. Writing down goals of when to have my transcripts sent, personal statement written, resume done, etc. has really helped me stay organized and apply to schools prior to the university deadlines. Setting realistic goals for me was important too because I want to get into a good graduate program, but I realize that my GPA and GRE score are not high enough for some elite programs. Being a college student on a strict budget, it's important for me to apply to schools that I have a chance of getting into due to application and transcript costs. While it's been stressful, I still try to be confident and have hope. In chapter 9, the text talks about how people with hope have motivation to accomplish their goals and see pathways in which to take to achieve those goals. I realize that having a "can do" attitude will get me further in life, therefore, that is what I strive to display. This is huge when writing a personal statement for graduate school because schools want to see your confidence and see bold statements. Having a perceived capacity to succeed will ultimately get me further in life, so I will continue to have hope and use goal-setting strategies.