For this blog assignment I want you to choose a real goal that you have. Make it a medium to long term goal (so something at least 1 year away or longer). Using what you know from Chapter 8, how could you go about making it more likely that you will achieve that goal? Be specific in terms of the concepts from chapter 8 and how your application of them to your goal.
The most important long-term goal I currently have is to become a physical therapist. To do so, I have to be accepted into P.T. school, take the courses, and pass the licensure exam. However, my focus right now is only getting into a good school. My top picks are Kansas University, St. Ambrose, and Mayo Clinic, so I have my work cut out for me. The criteria to get an interview are based on grades (pre requisite and overall), GRE scores, and observation hours. The only things for me left to do now are complete anatomy and physics, and diversify my observation experience. The goal I set is to get into one of the mentioned schools (which is a discrepancy reduction goal, because I am being compared to environmental standards). To match my future situation with my ideal situation, I must specify and set difficult goals to energize and direct my behavior. For instance, I can specify my goals (good grades and observation diversity) by trying to achieve all A’s for the rest of my classes at UNI and setting specific hours in specific therapy settings to shoot for within the next year. The difficulty can be increased by taking more classes that look good on P.T. applications, volunteering more often, and learning about more difficult types of therapy. I can also use the TOTE model to test my knowledge and application skills; however, I’ll keep in mind my strategies can be changed. This will also increase my abilities and resources by getting involved with real life applications of this knowledge. Finally, I can get feedback on my goals by evaluating other applicants or asking graduate school employees how my status looks. Once I am in graduate school, I will use goal striving to keep pushing toward my goal. I now know focusing on the material and exams would be better than to keep imagining myself with the job. I can also use implementation intentions to predict future difficulties (such as not getting in the first year, studying schedules, and adjusting to a new environment), so I have a plan of attack if a problem arises. In conclusion, I can use the strategies from the book (specificity, difficulty, and feedback) to make myself look better and get a better understanding of my likelihood to be accepted (and increase it if necessary).
A long term goal of mine is to start a career in the next couple of years. I have always felt that a job is different from a career. A job is temporary. You don't do a job for the rest of your life. To me, a career is something that you will do for the rest of your life. Even though I know that I will want to start my career in the next couple of years, I don't know exactly what I want to do though. I have a lot of different things that I have looked at but I have not decided. All I know is I want to find something to do that I will want to do for the rest of my life. I would say that most people share this long term goal with me but I do know that a lot of people never achieve this goal. Everybody wants to do something they like and it takes longer for some people than others so thats why it is long term and not a short term goal.
There a couple of different things that the book talked about that could help me achieve this goal of mine. First of all, it would help to have a plan. I have to figure out what I want to do and then how I will achieve this long term goal of mine. This can be done by using the TOTE model that Chapter 8 talks about. This will allow me to have a planned sequence of action for me to have. Now for some people, getting a career can be easy and some it can be hard. I think for me it will be somewhat difficult so I will have to put a lot of effort into it. If I increase by effort and work harder, I will have a better chance to achieve by goal as the book talks about. You must have a lot of persistence and you have to have your attention directed towards your goal. Starting a career has to be intrinsically motivated if I want to work. People who don't have intrinsic motivation for something are less likely to achieve their goal. Also I found out from the book that if you have a mental simulation of your goal, it helps to achieve it. If I focus on the goal at hand, I will be more likely to achieve it. It says that if I visualize getting a career, I will be more likely to work harder and have a greater persistence towards it. Some of these things can help and much more that the book talked about.
A long term goal of mine is to finish an olympic length triathlon. I have competed and finished in sprint length tris before, but have never performed as well as I'd have liked to. In order to get into shape, and prove to myself Im capable I want to finish an Olympic tri at my own pace, and not at the mercy of my body's weakness.
To help improve my success in this goal, I should make it difficult. I believe given enough time, I could finish an olympic tri right now(it might take 25 hours), so I'll set a difficult time limit for myself. My improved goal will be to finish an olympic length tri in 2 hours and 30 minutes. By making my goal more difficult, ive increased incongruity which supplies more energy.
In order to reduce ambiguity regarding my goal I need to make it more specific. This will encourage goal attainment because it will direct my energy. I decide that I will finish an Olympic tri in 2 hours and 30 minutes at the Preregrine Charities triathlon in September 2012.
Because this goal is 7 months away and intimidatingly difficult, it will be hard to get started and reamain persistant. In order to overcome these vocational problems I will implement short term goals that add up to the long term goal. This plan will provide feedback and reinforcement for my goal directed behavior. My short term goals will first focus on building up endurance, and then focus on increasing speed. I will spend the months of march, april, and may working up to running 6 miles, biking 25 miles and swimming 1 mile comfortably. I will spend the rest of my time until the race by slowly decreasing my times, with the hope of finishing the swim in 30 minutes, the bike in one hour and 10 minutes and the run in 35 minutes. The whole time I'm training I will remember to visualize myself running and finishing the race.
My main long-term goal I wish to achieve within the next year or so would be getting accepted into Graduate School for Mental Health Counseling/Psychology. I have started by creating a plan for this goal by focusing my attention on school and different courses needed to reach the requirements of my chosen field. I believe I have already gone through the process of exploring and using my corrective motivation by changing my major a year ago from nursing to psychology in order to focus on my strong interest areas. I have also decided to spend more time outside of work-study to do homework in my free time and have cancelled cable so I do not become distracted. By studying longer and putting more effort into my work to be more persistent with starting papers and whatnot early, I know this will most likely be an effective plan but I am willing to consider second options (such as applying to a variety of schools) to achieve my ideal state of being a grad student. I am happy with my present state because I feel as though I am accomplishing my short-term goals of completing assignments and gaining positive feedback from those assignments (such as good grades or comments from professors). By having those encouragements, my felt satisfaction for my goal motivates me to move forward. I also have strongly learned from professors that discredit my work and give out a worse grade than I expected because my felt dissatisfaction for those negative feedbacks has motivated me to overcome and learn from my mistakes. I feel a strong, positive flow within my major of psychology because it strongly interests me as well as being somewhat challenging, but is never too overwhelming. My goal acceptance level of different professors’ assignments and expectations seem to usually match up to my interest because most of my psychology professors have done very well on assigning specific goals instead of vague goals which helps lead me in the right direction. One of my main implementation methods is seeking advisors for input on when I need to apply to grad school, where I need to go to do this, and how long the process might take. By doing this, I can start to time out some short-term goals in order to reach this long-term goal of becoming a Mental Health Counseling Graduate student.
Terms: long-term goals, short-term goals, corrective motivation, effort, persistent, present state, ideal state, felt satisfaction, felt dissatisfaction, flow, goal acceptance, vague goals, specific goals, implementation methods
My long term goal is to become healthier and live a healthier life style. I have already started this goal. Because this goal is ambiguous I have short term goals that I want to achieve before I deem my long term goal achieved. My first short term goal is to create and stick to an exercise plan by May 5th. I want to exercise every day at the same time. I work out at 8:30 every night and I do exactly a half an hour of this and then 10 minutes of meditation to relax myself and keep in control of my life. After this has been achieved my next short term goal is to eat healthier. This includes increasing my vegetable and fruit intake and lowering my portions. This will be achieved by October 5th. I will buy more fruit and vegetables and use children’s plates and utensils. I will know this will be achieved when my portions are the recommended size and most of my plate includes fruits and Vegetables. During this time I will also be using my first short term goal of my regular exercise program every day. My last short term goal on my way to my long term goal is to cut out all sweets and soda. This will be achieved by February 5th and by this time I am hoping to have shown some progress in my weight loss. Once I have achieved this my weight loss goal will be in full force and I hopefully have gotten down several sizes during this goal. On May 5th of next year I hope to have gone down 5 pant sizes by sticking to my program and achieving my short term goals.
I accepted my goal because it was set down by myself and I am the person committing to it and deciding to do it. I will have feedback provided by my mother, father, grandmother, aunt and close friends. They will report to me every week to ask me how I am doing and if I have lost any weight and I will report to them. I am also reporting to myself with a weight diary that I have been keeping for about a week now. When I achieve one of my short term goals I will reward myself with something I am craving, like a new DVD or a new outfit. In case something comes us and I have to take a break I will use the afore mentioned family and friends to help me get back on my goal progress. I already know that finals and graduation may present some problems. I also know that moving from my dorm to my home again, and possibly moving again from there, may cause some problems. Since I already anticipate this it will be easier to avoid. This goal is difficult because I am a sedentary person and I don’t like to eat healthy. This goal is a challenge to me and I personal am embarking on it. I picture in my mind myself working out when the clock changes to 8:30 on the dot and so far the visualization has been working. I am intrinsically motivated because I am worried about my health and extrinsically motivated because I want to be thin and wear cute clothing currently unavailable to me.
The goal started because there is an incongruity between how I want to look in my head and how I look in the real time.
One of my main long term goals that I have for the next year is to get into graduate school for either social work, or family and marriage counseling. This is something I have been striving to achieve for a while now. This was never really a goal of mine a couple of years ago, because I would have never thought I’d want to go to graduate school, but as of now, I know that is the right decision. Also, another sub section of this goal is getting into the schools of my choosing (if that’s possible). I would love to attend either the University of Iowa or make my way down south, which is even a more difficult goal to accomplish. This would definitely be part of the goal difficulty. The book states that has the goal difficulty increase, so does your performance. I really do agree with this. Considering I am trying to get into a graduate school that has pretty high requirements my performance in school has rose. I am trying to study as much as possible, read my textbooks and raise my GPA. Also, I have been involved in many volunteer opportunities as well to put on my resume. If I was not planning on going to graduate school I would probably not worry about this as much. I believe I have been very persistent in trying to achieve this goal. Also, I have been pretty specific with my goals as well, which goes along with goal specificity. I need to do all my homework, read my textbooks, study hard, and volunteer as much as possible. These can also be considered short term goals, which will help me achieve my long term goal. For example, I have two tests next week; my goal is to get an A on both of them. These would be two of my short term goals. If I get A’s on both of these, it will raise my class grades, which will hopefully raise my GPA, which will look good on my resume, which will hopefully help getting into graduate school.
Also, I have received a lot of feedback concerning this goal. After meeting with my adviser and discussing the options of graduate school, I received a lot of feedback regarding my grades, resume, and how I am doing. This boosts my confidence a little bit knowing that my adviser thinks I will not have a problem getting into a graduate school (but not necessarily the one I really want). Also, having family members and friends telling me that they are proud of what I have accomplished also motivates me to keep pushing through with what Im doing, and keep up the good work.
Even though this is all exciting, I still have a feeling in the back of my head thinking I will not get in, which causes a lot of stress, and makes me turn into a moody person! This goes along with the criticisms that we discussed in class, and read in the text book. But I try to stay positive and as I am trying to keep up with all of this work, I just try to picture each step along the way, and then I finally picture the long term goal; receiving a call or letter letting me know I was accepted, or at least have an interview.
TERMS: Long term goal, goal difficulty, performance, persistent, goal specificity, feedback, short term goal
A current long term goal I have for myself is to graduate in May of 2013. If I reach that goal it means I will be graduating in college in four years. This is a goal of mine because I’m a double major and it is a little harder to graduate on time when I have more classes to take. There is some goal difficulty in my plan because it means that I will be over-loaded on classes and have to manage my time well, which could be difficult with work and other life demands.
In making this goal become a reality I am currently taking 20 credit hours and I have it planned to take 18 credit hours next semester, followed by 15 credits my last semester. By planning my classes out I can see what I need yet to take and which semester would work best to take them. I will also need to keep a study log to make sure I am studying for each class every week staying up to date with when assignments are due and what days the tests are. By studying well each week I am hoping this will increase my GPA. I would like to graduate with a 3.5 or higher GPA. Studying and keeping up on my homework are examples of goal specificity. I can set short term goals for myself each week to accomplish good grades on tests or assignments. It would even be a good idea for me to write out a TOTE model chart so I can visually see the progress I am making and what I have yet to accomplish.
I will need a lot of feedback to keep me motivated. Encouraging words from professors, friends, and loved ones are going to be of up-most importance. I like it when professors write encouraging notes on my tests and assignments, like good work or way to go! I helps me to see that my hard work is paying off and they are noticing. It also keeps me motivated to continuing reaching my goal to graduate on time. Another thing that keeps me motivated is the feedback from my bank account. Hopefully by graduating on time and not continuing another semester I can save some money because my bank account is constantly decreasing.
If I follow my goal specificity and take in all the feedback I get I believe I can reach my goal of graduating on time. I know that by reaching that goal many doors will open for me in the future. By taking this class it is also keeping me motivated to continue with all my short-term and long-term goals. I am learning new ways to keep myself motivated and excited about my goals.
Terms: Long-term goal, short-term goal, feedback, goal difficulty, goal specificity, TOTE model, motivation
The most important long term goal I currently have is making it into graduate school for Speech Language Pathology at UNI. This goal is high in difficulty, but low in specificity. The specificity is in the short term goals I have that will help me achieve this long term goal. Part of my implementation plan is studying and doing well on the GRE. The first step I made towards doing well on this test is purchasing a GRE prep book. I plan on using this throughout the semester to prepare myself for the summer prep classes I am going to take. Then at the end of summer I will take the test. Another goal I am currently working on is achieving a 4.0 this semester. I use the TOTE method to help with this goal when I am dissatisfied with the way I am performing in school. I test my present state by checking the grades I’ve been getting and compare them to the ideal grades I would like to have. When they aren’t up to par I cut out going out, watching television, and other activities so that I can study more. Then I test again to see if my grades are satisfactory. When they are back to the level I want then I exit and can make time for extracurricular activities. Persistence will also help achieve my short term goal of achieving a 4.0; being able to start a task and finish it without being distracted. The feedback I will receive will come from getting either above average grades, or below average grades. The below average grades will create discrepancy and will force me to try harder.
Terms: long term goal, short term goal, implementation plan, TOTE method, persistence, feedback, discrepancy
One of the most trying and long-term goals I currently have is to be able to lift in the summer games bench lifting competition. To do this I need to lift at least three times a week, work different muscle groups each time, work out long enough to build, eat right, and make sure I increase the weight over time. However, my main focus right now is to get myself out of my room and to the weight room to lift. The short-term goal I set to help me with my goal-performance discrepancy is to get into the weight room. To match my present situation with my ideal situation, I must make my goal difficult and specific enough to energize and direct my behavior. I can do this by trying out new and harder techniques, such as higher weights, different positions, and different machines if need be. I can specify my goals by making a schedule with times (2-3o-clock or 4-5 o-clock) and days (Mon., Wed., Fri.) to work out along with the appropriate or challenging weight to push for that muscle growth (45Lbs for arm curls). I can use the TOTE model to test my goal, keeping in mind that if I cannot exit the model as illustrated, I might have to undergo some corrective motivation. Changing my original plan (increases effort) to a more adaptive course to reduce my present-ideal discrepancy. I can just as much increase my abilities and resources by getting to know trainers and coaches in the field to boost my ability in performance. Once I accomplish this I can get feedback on my goals by asking these professionals or other body builders how my present status looks. Finally once I get to a desired weight to lift I can use implementation intentions to predict my future goal, so I can have a plan of attack if a problem arises.
Before I begin, I’d like to state that there is currently a big discrepancy between my present state and my ideal state. This is so because my long-term goal is to travel, yet I’ve been living in the same state my whole life. This type of discrepancy is creation because I’m proactively setting my future and a higher goal for myself. To be more specific about my goal, I’ll have to be clearer on what I actually want to achieve and what to do. Therefore, my goal is to live in another state after graduation, like Colorado, and eventually saving up enough money to travel throughout Europe until I want to settle down. Now, this still isn’t specific enough, but we’ll come back to how to go about accomplishing that later. This goal of mine is difficult, not only for me, but for anyone looking to drop everything to go explore and travel. Since this goal is perceived as difficult, my level of performance will have to increase in order to meet the needs of the goal’s difficulty. The troubles or pitfalls I’m having with goal-setting for this particular goal, is that it’s overly challenging both financially and organizing everything. According to the goal-setting theory, it will not enhance my performance and will create stress and opportunities for failure. However, since this long-term goal of mine is something of interest to me, it will actually facilitate my intrinsic motivation. But in order to overcome the other long-term goal-setting problems, I’ll need to start creating short-term goals as a process of fulfilling my long-term goal attainment. Once when I come up with short-term goals, I’ll be able to persist, gain positive feedback, and positively affect my intrinsic motivation. Some examples of short-term goals I can set in order to achieve my goal of traveling, is to begin looking up research on exactly where I would like to go. After that, I may get my resumes and qualifications in order before I start applying for a job out of state, in this case Colorado. Once when I find a job, move there, and save up some money, I can then start preparing for my travel expenses. Travel expenses include everything from getting plane tickets, hostel rooms, taking care of credit/visa cards, and insuring I’ll still be able to make income while overseas.
Like I said, this long-term goal is definitely a challenge, but by using these specific behavioral targets, or short-term goals, I will be a step closer to attaining my goal. Instead of just focusing on the goal, I’ll need to focus on how to accomplish this goal in order to facilitate attainment. As I said previously about my goal specificity, I’ll need to make it more specific on how to go about achieving this goal. Coming up with implemental intentions will definitely help with that. Similar to my short-term goals, these intentions are very specific actions. For instance, before I graduate I will set aside time during winter break of 2012 to do some research on Colorado, such as what city, residency, job market, and fun things to do in the area. Before I set aside this time to find a job and a place to live, I will have to start making myself marketable now by volunteering in specific job areas I’m interested in, saving money, and taking a short travel vacations to get a feel for the traveling life and new atmospheres. Since I’m making these specific plans, there will be no volition problems or distractions to face.
Another very important aspect of goal-setting and striving is to receive feedback. Given that this type of goal is somewhat difficult to receive feedback from, I’ll have to come up with another way in order to keep myself dissatisfied. So, I will make a checklist of all the short-term goals and implantation intentions I need to accomplish before reaching this goal. The act of checking something off on a long important list is rather satisfying, because it means you must be on the right track and are progressing. Other feedback I can receive is by talking to people who have traveled, not only to learn their experiences and know what to look out for, but also sharing what needs to be done before actually traveling and telling me if I’m on the right path. Friends, family, professors, and even my manager will provide feedback too by sharing their thoughts and feelings about this goal and any advice they’d be willing to give and by checking up on my checklist progress.
I have a couple of long term goals that come to mind, graduating, finding a good career, getting a home, I have a special one that just kind of fell into place. My goal is next summer to run a half marathon, 13.2 miles. To do this I need to set short term goals along the way to help reinforce my behavior that this is doable. There is some goal difficulty, because I have neve ran 13.2 miles and I know this will take hard work and dedication, but with the right planning I will be able to achieve it.
In striving to make this goal reality, I am currently working out and running every day. I have been an avid runner for about a year, before an injury set me back a little. This is a small problem for me because I have some strained muscles and bad joints. I plan to cure this through doing my rehabilitation exercises and will get it strong enough to endure the physicality of the run. Being a list person, I will make a check list that will set up my short term goals. I first will break up how far I run. I am currently running 5-7 miles daily. Which is the second short term goal. I will also start stretching and giving myself "recovery days" as training increases. During summer, I will up my workouts to running twice a day and continue gaining strength and endurance. I have a schedule where I workout at 6 am everyday and it is very reinforcing just to cross off that run. Another short term goal I will have is about 4-6 months before the actual day, I will start "carbing up" As training increases so does the need for nutrients for the body to help you get through this stress on your body. To do this succesfully, I will make a calender and plan out the foods that I will be eating weekly. This will help me get the right amount of nutrients.
To be able to keep going through this training, reinforcements and feedback will be very helpful. For me just being able to cross things off or make a good time/distance on a run is very rewarding. The feedback will mostly be from my times and how the improvement grows over time. Once a date is set for the marathon, than it will be specific and exact dates will be set. Feedback from any friends or people who have ran a half marathon, will be greatly appreciated on how they trained and helping me with my checklist. Since I already have the desired distance I want to run.
To check my self, I will use the TOTE model. By looking at my times and distances on my runs. If a run is below an acceptable time, than I will run harder and longer the next day. Because since it is below average, it will be an incongruent and causing me to operate, or work harder.
I actually have a goal that I started working on about a week or two ago. I was glad when I started reading this chapter because the timing was perfect. My goal is actually precisely a year from now on March 1st. I get married next summer (2013) but my goal is to lose 40 lbs so that I am at a healthy weight for my height and so that I look better in a wedding gown. My goal date is March 1st because I want to lose the weight early enough that I am able to get my gown altered in time for the wedding and so that when it gets to be crunch time, I am only working on maintaining rather than still losing weight. I know it is pretty stereotypical to have a goal be to lose weight. However, I had kind of an “Ah-ha” moment when I was cleaning out my closet a couple weeks ago and a pair of jeans I wore last year didn’t fit anymore. That was my sign that something needs to change and I need to reverse this behavior.
The first thing I did was break down my long-term goal into smaller goals spaced about 2 months apart. My long-term goal was somewhat specific because it said 40 pounds by March 1st. When I broke it down even more it made it more specific and manageable. This goal is also difficult because I haven’t been 40 pounds lighter since my freshman year of high school and it will take quite a bit of effort to achieve that. However, it is doable and not an impossible goal.
Trying on my jeans when I was cleaning out my closet was essentially the first test where I compared my present state with my ideal state. When it became clear that there was a discrepancy between the two I decided that I needed to operate. I am still in the first set of operating by modifying my diet (portion sizes) and working out each morning where I used to not workout at all. I am using a scale as feedback. Friday morning, every two weeks, I will weigh myself to make sure I am on track (test again) and to increase my effort so that I get back on track.
There wasn’t very much difficulty in accepting the goal. I knew that the perceived difficulty was hard but manageable. I had complete participation in the goal-setting process. Since I made the goal, I consider myself pretty credible. ☺ There really weren’t many extrinsic incentives except for being healthier, able to be more active, and look better in my wedding dress.
In goal-striving I’m not particularly doing one process over the other. During the day I am focusing on implementation intentions. However, when I am working out and it gets tough, I use outcome simulation. Analyzing the steps in the goal-setting process, I have completed all of those. In the goal-striving process, I just need to focus on the final step, which is “provide performance feedback.”
Terms Used: Goal, Long-Term Goal, Specific, Difficult, Test, Present State, Ideal State, Discrepancy, Operate, Feedback, Goal Acceptance, Perceived Difficulty, Participation in Goal-Setting Process, Credibility, Extrinsic Incentives, Goal-Striving, Implementation Intentions, Outcome Simulation
One goal that has been in my sights for a long time is not one that involves physical fitness but mental fitness. I have many goals in my life but most are short term and do indeed involve physical fitness. However, my one main long term goal that I have been striving for for along time is to graduate and get my BA a year from now. College has been fun for me and challenging at the same time. It's not that it's so extremely hard that I can't do it, it's that it's taking forever (at least it seems) to get the hell out of here. My highschool self would already be in disbelief of where I'm at in my life right now educationally. My old teachers would be in disbelief too. So, in a lot of ways I have already succeeded. After graduation, I plan on starting a career as a police officer.
Now that I'm so close to my goal, I can use different strategies from chapter 8 to help me get there and make sure I don't move my graduation date back. First, already established, is the long term goal of graduating a year from now. It would be a good idea to set up short term goals to reach a long the way. These short term goals will keep me in line and give me an emotional boost every now and then. Some short term goals could be making sure I take required classes and try making the deans list each semester. If I'm taking required classes, that will ensure my graduation and making the deans list will guarantee that I'm probably passing my classes.
To start off with this behavior, I would use the TOTE model. I would evaluate my current state and the ideal state that I'm trying to achieve. I would test my current behavior and then operate to achieve what I want my state to be. For example, looking over my current studying behaviors and thus trying to increase my study durations and studying efforts to ultimately improve my grades. By doing all this extra thinking and outlines of behaviors I wish to achieve, I'm displaying goal specificity. This goal specificty will help me reach my long term goal by clearly displaying what I need to do to achieve my long term goal. Also, displaying correctional motivation during the course of achieving my goal is very important. Different situations will always arise and it's important to be able to improvise and control your success. If I discover new ways of helping me achieve my goal easier, it's important that I waste no time implementing them into my plans.
Terms: Goals (short and long), TOTE, Present/current state and Ideal state, Goal specificity, and Correctional motivation
A long term goal of mine is to decorate my soon to be apartment on a budget. I want to make it "homey" without having to spend a lot of money to do it. Since this will be the first time in 4 years that I will have my own place to live I am excited to be able to do everything the way I want it. I think there is a little bit of discrepancy between my present state and my ideal state just because I am limited in the materials and money right now to do anything with my current apartment. Because I also live with 3 other people, this limits what I can do as well.
Although I have limitations in my next apartment (no screws, huge nails in the the wall, no painting anything, etc) I can still do projects with my own furniture and decor. What I plan to do is slowly take on DIY (do it yourself) projects starting this summer. I have already started gathering ideas and tutorials that are cost effective. I find these mostly on blogs where I can see other people attempting the same thing. The projects I am focused on currently are repainting my (previously used) entertainment center, creating a decorative wall hanging, and making a ruffled lantern. These projects aren't exactly easy themselves because they take time and patience. This is sometimes difficult for me I want to set up and be homey right away. With this goal though, I am trying to push myself and remember that this isn't something that can be accomplished overnight. This will hopefully direct my behavior into working diligently on these projects. I am making a schedule for when I would like to work on these items and complete them. I am also considering the money and materials I will need as well. Luckily I already have a lot of the materials because it is what one would consider household items. A lot of the tools and wood materials I can also gather from my dad. Already I am being money-conscious. This leaves only a few things that I actually need to purchase. The next step is price checking some of my items. Overall I don't want to spend over $50 on all three projects so I need to price items to make sure I can still complete the project or rethink a few things. It will also help me to get some feedback from my dad (on pricing) and other people like my friends and sister to help me think about design and projects. They can act as a reinforcer to keep completing the projects and it documents my individual progress toward my overall goal. There may be times when I get frustrated or stressed with a project but since I am laying out all the steps it should make it more manageable to handle. The implementation intentions are very strong in this case because there are many little things I can do to prepare myself.
Once I have all my materials I can actually start working on each one. As I work to complete these projects, my apartment will slowly feel more complete and I will hopefully accomplish that homey feeling.
My medium to long-term goal to surpass all of the benchmarks I have set in the past to consider myself in the best shape I have ever been. I define being in the best shape of my life as running faster and lifting more than I have ever done in my life. I want to do this in one year. Right now there is a huge discrepancy between how fast I can run and how much I can lift now as compared to what I have done at my best in the past. I will seek to reduce this discrepancy. As I approach the standards that I have achieved in the past, I will use the technique of discrepancy creation and set a goal that is beyond what I have ever done before and work to achieve it. Right now there is a gap between my present state and my ideal state and I am very motivated to get to my ideal state.
I believe my goal is optimally difficult has it is just beyond what I have ever done before. My goals are also specific as I have a time I want to be able to run 5 miles in and with certain exercises I have specific weights amounts that I want to be able to lift for a specific number of repetitions. Having goals that are both difficult and specific energizes my purpose and focuses my direction.
I have set up several short-term goals to achieve to lead me to my long-term goals. Right now I can only run for two miles and do not run for time. I will incrementally increase how far I run every week until I am running five miles. When I am able to run five miles nonstop I will begin timing my runs and look to reduce my time week to week. I also use this method for lifting. I lift certain a certain amount weight at repetition and gradually increase both the weight and repetition with every workout.
For feedback I discuss my goals and results with a few of my friends. We have also entered a few running and obstacle challenges together. The first one is in May and we are competing just to finish. There is another one in September and for that one we are competing to finish in the top half of the competition. These competitions as well as short-term goal achievement will provide the proper feedback to track my progress and maximize performance.
I am intrinsically motivated to achieve my goals so I think I am highly likely to achieve them. I am doing this for myself and the sense of achievement that it gives me to better myself. Therefore, the task is more enjoyable and interesting to me. I am currently setting and meeting short-term goals making more likely that I will continue to set and achieve future goals. I have a clear plan and clear goals that I want to accomplish. Because everything I have done and planned corresponds to what the text indicates successful methods of goal achievement, I believe I will be able to reach the long-term goals that I have set.
As of right now the biggest long-term goal I have for myself is to get into a postsecondary student affairs program at a university within year or two. I have progressively been working towards this goal since my freshman year of college, and I have been working towards it by setting myself up with short-term goals along the way. I started by setting up a plan of the short-term goals I needed to complete along the way in which I started getting involved with my hall senate early on my freshman year. I then applied to be an RA that year, but was chosen as an alternate for the position, which had first put a damper on my plan, but I persevered and went into my sophomore year where I changed my plan and chose to get involved in my new resident hall right away by joining their senate, and eventually I filled an open seat on the senate exec board and became involved with RHA.
I then wanted to become more involved because I felt like my present state of just being in RHA wasn’t enough so I progressed towards an ideal state and applied to join the student organization known as Connecting Alumni To Students (CATS). I then interviewed and was accepting into the group, where I then hit the ground running and challenged myself to be involved in the organization. In CATS there is a requirement that we earn 35 points by working various events and however, I felt that I needed to set a high goal for myself to attain, so I said that by the end of the spring semester I was going to earn at least 75 points. Thus I had set myself up for a difficult task and in a specified time to complete my goal. By doing that I was able to be more successful in the organization and finished the semester by earning over 100 points and being the top point earner. I have continued to become more involved in the organization by being elected into an exec position and I continue to work events for the group.
Other than CATS I accomplished my goal of becoming an RA during the academic year, and I just recently found out that my most recent short-term goal of being a Summer RA was successful and that I got the position, so I am very pleased with the progress I have made in my short-term goals to reach my long-term goal. The next short-term goals I intend to implement for myself is to be accepting into UNI’s NRHH program, take the GREs, and begin looking at and applying to various universities’ graduate programs. Those are goals I just listed are goal strivings because I am visualizing the ideal states that I want to attain, and I am planning ahead on how I am going to complete and persist until those goals met and hope that they will lead me to my long-term goal of getting into a postsecondary student affairs program.
Terms used: long-term goal, short-term goal, plan, present state, ideal state, difficult, specified time, goal, implementation intentions(intend to implement), goal striving, persist
A goal that I have is that I want to become a softball coach; to help the girls achieve their goals and aspirations and to help them become better people. To get closer to achieving this goal, I have taken a major step and have become the Northern Iowa Softball team’s student manager. This responsibility has given be the chance to see and learn how a Division I softball program is run. It also allows me to learn drills that help make players better and I have the ability to work hands on with the drills and the players to help make them better and for me to learn what the drill does better. This responsibility also has given me the chance to start early on coaching because during our daily hitting drills, I work at the bunting station and it gives me the chance to work on my teaching skills for the future. I also have been given the responsibility on game days to take stats and work alongside the coaching staff, trying to pick up tenancies or picking pitches. This will only help me in the future.
The biggest problem with this goal is that it is a long-term and big goal. It does have a lot of room for failure, so I have to work on breaking it down into smaller goals to achieve first. My first smaller goal is to just continue getting more and more responsibilities with the softball team. I remember when I started off I didn’t have a lot, but I have continued to get more and more and show the coaching staff that I am learning and they can count on me. This is just a big learning process, but I am not afraid to fail to accomplish what I want to . You can’t fail without trying.
Long-term goal, Short-term goal
A long term goal of mine is to be married to my current partner. The social need for intimacy and affiliation is a strong part of the development of our relationship and definitely pertains to the long term goal of spending the rest of our lives together. This goal of maturing a relationship into a lifelong partnership will definitely need somewhat of a plan. While I originally did not think of these concepts inside of the plan I have for sure done parts of the plan already. I have been testing things by comparing our behaviors as a young couple to what I want when we have a family. For example, the late nights out with friends or spending our money on extracurricular activities will likely have to change when a family is present. Operate the next part of the planning toward my goal. Acquiring a life-long relationship where we are financially stable and have steady jobs is also part of this plan. Now that I will be graduating college I need to put effort toward finding a fulltime job. Putting together job applications during these next few months will again test the chances of getting a better paying job. The feedback which I may get back from these applications will then tell me if I need to keep testing to achieve the overall long term goal. I have run into some goal difficulty due to the lack of obtaining a job around the Cedar Falls area. One of the next steps for my partner and I would be to look for a house to live together, this also is affected by my ability to have a valid income. While the goal of obtaining a job seems difficult I now am not energized to look for a job as much as I should be. Because this goal pertains to an interpersonal relationship the opinion of my partner needs to be found, he also wants the same goal therefore I have goal acceptance. I have peer support with this next step with my partner and I also have intrinsic motivation helping me achieve this multi-dimensional goal. Achievement of this goal will allow me to increase my wellbeing. The extrinsic motivations in having a life partner would be the combination of our income, being in each-others company more often, and having a family. I think my problem with this goal is that is somewhat of a dream right now too. I lack implementation intentions and I think I need to converse with my partner when we feel the year span of all the aspects of the long term goal need to be completed.
Terms: Social needs, intimacy, long term goal, test, operate, energize, goal difficulty, feedback, goal acceptance, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, goal vs. dream, implementation intention.
For a long time, one of my goals has been to become more active. This has been a very loosely defined goal but I have recently made it more specific. One of my best friends is spending this semester is Scotland. When she gets back in June, I want to be able to go on a run with her. After reading this chapter, I realized why I wasn’t feeling at all motivated by this long term goal.
After reading this chapter I realized that I need to set little goals with more specific plans of how the goal will be achieved. In order to be able a reach my big goal, I need to first have the correct motivation. I need to look at my present state and decide how I’m going to get to my ideal state.
In order to achieve this goal, I need to set very specific goals, like working out 3 times a week, instead of a vague distant goal. I also need to make sure that the goal is realistic. For me personally, this means when I sit down with my planners on Sunday night, and schedule my upcoming week, I need to set aside time to exercise. I also need to start viewing exercise has something that I need to get done. Every morning I make a list of stuff that I need to get done before I can watch TV. I need to start putting exercise on that list.
After reading the chapter, I feel that I will be able to accomplish this goal. If I follow the sequential steps within the goal-setting process, I first need to specify my goal-I want to go on a run with my friend. Next I need to define the difficulty of the goal. If I just take off running the first day she is home, the goal is very difficult. However, if I take the time now to exercise, running with her will not be that hard. Clarify the goal. I will start scheduling time to work out, starting 3 times a week. Specify the time span. When she gets back to Cedar Falls on June 11, I want to be able to go on a 2 mile run with her, and not die.
Terms: motivated, long term goal, present state, ideal state, specific goal, sequential steps within the goal-setting process,
A goal that I have set for myself to accomplish in a year from now is to earn my first dahn black belt in kong shin bup hapkido. I have been in hapkido for over two years now and have recently earned my brown belt. My present state as a brown belt is good now, however I have a discrepancy towards staying at my present state as a brown belt too long. I want to continue moving forward in martial arts which consists of me earning my first dahn black belt. This is my ideal state I intend to work towards. This goal consists of both discrepancy reduction and discrepancy creation. Discrepancy reduction is relevant to my goal because my martial arts instructor and the martial art environment I am exposed to bring a standard of excellence to my awareness. I know that it is ideal for me to earn my black belt in hapkido. At the same time, however, I also have some discrepancy creation because in this class you move at your own pace and how far along you go is entirely up to you. This goal is partially set by the environment, but it is also me looking forward and proactively setting a future, higher goal.
In order for me to accomplish this goal, there are several smaller goals that I have to accomplish first. I am already at brown belt level so I have four more forms to learn, 45 new techniques, and I have to review all of the old information as well. When testing for first dahn black belt in hapkido, a person has to demonstrate the ability to do all forms and techniques starting from white belt up to black belt. Another part of the testing involves a physical endurance test. Some of the physical endurance test involves great arm strength and endurance so I have a lot of strength training and running that I need to continue working on in order to withstand the testing. Grand Master Timmerman says in our letters that we should bring a mop because many people throw up during the testing. This alone tells me the testing will most certainly be brutal. As goals increase in difficulty, performance increases in a linear fashion. This goal is very difficult to obtain, so therefore my performance should increase as well.
I plan to learn a new form every two weeks. This will allow me plenty of time to practice the forms before testing. Once I have learned the last four forms, I plan to review all the forms from white belt to black belt every week. Also I plan to learn the last 45 techniques, within the next month. Then I will be able to go over every technique from white belt to black belt once a week. I also plan to implement more cardio and strength training into my workouts so I will be able to withstand the endurance test and the obstacle course we will have to test on. I also have to work on by break falls which I plan to work on once a week as well.
Through the time I have worked through the belt rankings my instructor has given me feedback which allows me to understand what it is that I am doing good and what I need to improve on. I have fully accepted this goal that both my martial art instructor and I have set. This goal acceptance will allow my goal to translate into performance gained.
Two techniques that I learned from the chapter and plan to utilize in preparing for the testing are outcome simulation and process simulation. These will both allow me to visualize and better accomplish my goal. I will be able to use process simulation to visualize myself practicing the techniques and forms in a way that will lead me to obtain a black belt in hapkido. I am able to use outcome simulation to visualize myself obtaining the black belt as well.
Terms: goal, discrepancy, ideal state, present state, discrepancy reduction, discrepancy creation, performance, feedback, outcome simulation, process simulation
My long term goal, being at least a year (probably several) away would be to become a proficient wood worker. I got a taste for this back in high school when I made a writing desk and two Adirondack chairs in shop class. This is a hobby that I find peaceful and at the same time it is something I could flip into some slow, easy income. The first step in approaching this goal is to identify the discrepancy between my present state and my ideal state. I currently own a circular saw, drill, and other odd bits of tools. I also have a basic knowledge of how to construct, measure, and finish projects from my shop class. My ideal state has a garage or shop with all the necessary tools and knowledge to craft whatever I want, it is dimly lit, with a wood burner in the corner, and…see what I did there? I was starting to focus solely on the goal and not on the ways to achieve it. Having a clear measurable goal is important but as the book and Kim said focusing on that alone will not be an effective motivator causing us to change and is referred to as outcome simulation. It is always the discrepancy that drives us and when we visualize the process that will get us to our goal is called process simulation. In this case this is a created discrepancy because it is not something I have received feedback on; instead it is an area of personal growth that I want to pursue to attain a greater level of competence. According to the model laid out in our book our performance enhances when our goals are difficult and specific. This will not be an easy goal for me to achieve because it takes persistent commitment to it and I have many hobbies such as snowboarding, camping, hiking and many more. Because this is a very long term goal (potentially many years down the road) I will need to insert some short term goals into the equation. These short term goals leading up to my large term goal will take shape in various projects I take on and complete. These short term goals will be difficult to set up on a timeline because I will not be able to build whatever I want all the time. I think the best way to approach this right now is to pick a few projects that increase in difficulty that I want to accomplish. My current project it so make a spice rack for my wife so that is step one. Progressing from there perhaps building bookcases, shadow boxes, and crates then desks, chairs, tables and other inside furniture and the finale would take shape in building a big outdoor project like a gazebo, deck, or a shed. As I said these short term goals would provide me with a sense of how I am doing. If I haven’t made much progress a few months down the road then it is clear that I need to step it up a notch. One inhibitor to that will obviously be coming up with the money to purchase the necessary tools so I will need to make that a priority. Luckily, I currently am employed at Menards and receive a discount whenever I buy something. By considering obstacles that may come up I am attempting to identify them and create a plan of action with which to respond to them with, referred by the book as implementation intentions. These are the times in which I will put my goals into practice, when I have set aside out of my paycheck a certain amount of money toward the project (say $10/paycheck) and have reached my goal of the necessary money I will make time to build something. Because I came up with this goal I will readily accept it, so goal acceptance is a nonissue. The most difficult part for me will be persisting and finishing, so I hope that the difficult and specific nature of my goal will help me to endure toward the desired finish. With all of these goal setting implementations I think I will be off to a good start…and more importantly a good finish.
Terms: discrepancy, discrepancy creation, goal, motivation, performance enhanced by difficult and specific goals, short term goal, long term goal, feedback, implementation intentions, process simulation, outcome simulation, goal acceptance
The main goal I have within the next couple years is to go back to school for graduate school. I will be graduating this year, but was unsure with what I really wanted to do with my life. I’m taking a year off to get work experience and get some ideas.
The reason for me to even go back to school is because there was a discrepancy between my present state (graduating with a BA) and my ideal state (Masters or Doctorate). This motivated me to make the decision that I would like to go back to school. To make this goal difficult so that I would be more successful with my goal, I would apply to some harder schools that may have a little more competition than some other programs might. I have been interested in school counseling through my four years of college. I would need to figure out what schools I would like to apply to and what programs I believe would fit for me.
It also would be necessary for me to have dates set. I would spend this summer studying for the GRE and take the GRE in August and have my applications sent out by October so there is enough time to be accepted in the fall of 2013. This would be setting my self up with more short term goals that would be more obtainable than jumping right into the long term goal where I will receive as much feedback or reinforcement. I am the one making the goal so this would make goal acceptance not much of an issue because I have to take responsibility for it.
Sequential Steps within the Goal-Setting Process
The objective I want to have complete is to workout at least three times a week. This specifies the performance-based ideal state I long to achieve. I would say this is a somewhat difficult goal as I have had troubles in the past maintaining my weight and workout routine. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will go to a gym and work out for at least an hour and a half. This states my specific objective. Every Saturday I will check my hours spent working out on a log in sheet. This will assess my performance.
Sequential Steps within the Goal-Striving Process
First, I need to personally endorse and personally accept this goal. It must have a measure of personal commitment associated with it. Once I accept and internalize this goal I will discuss possible plans, strategies, and courses of action that might enable me to advance from goal setting to goal attainment. One possible strategy that I could use would be to not go out drinking the night before a workout day. This has derailed plans before and must be kept under surveillance. The third step is the formulation of an implementation intention that involves articulating the time and place in which goal-directed action will occur. Afternoons are when I feel like I have the most energy so that is when I will schedule my workouts. The last step is where I would need to create a means to provide myself with a someone who will provide a steady stream of feedback that will enable me to see if I am performing at, above, or below goal level. A current roommate would suffice for this portion.
Terms: performance-based, specific objective, performance, commitment, internalize, strategies, goal attainment, implementation, articulating, goal-directed, feedback.
A long term goal of mine (actually 2) is to find a career I plan to be at for a while and buy a house. These are two things I want to accomplish by June 2013. I am going to talk specifically about buying a house though.
The goal difficulty of this is somewhat high, and the two go hand in hand. One way I am going about the goal of buying a house is saving a percentage of my paychecks that are for my down payment. I am also paying attention to my credit score and am teaching my fiancé how to save and be aware of what is on his credit report. These are some of my goal directed behaviors. Because I will be married by then and buying a house with him, I have to be very specific about this goal and make sure that we have the same goal. At first, I think he was just agreeing with me, until we had the detailed conversation. I had to make sure this was his goal also and he had goal acceptance. The act of me paying attention to my credit report and saving money in a House savings, gives me feedback to see that I am on my way to reaching my goal.
One of my reasons for wanting this goal is because I have rented houses for the past 6 years and I am tired of paying someone else’s mortgage, I want to pay my own. I also have a daughter who is starting kindergarten this year and I would like her to start school in a stable home start at a school she will be at for a while.
Some difficulty I have right now would be I do not know what career I will have, or my fiancé, and it is difficult to know how much money we will be making, to know what our goal should be for a down payment and what kind of house we will be able to afford. This is something that in the next few months we will have better information on though because we will both be graduating and looking for careers. This right now maybe a goal discrepancy.
There are many steps and plans that must happen before my goal, but I believe that right now I have an effective goal setting program in progress.
Terms used: goal, goal directed behavior, goal acceptance, feedback, discrepancy, goal difficulty.
Right now my most important goal is to get my Master’s degree in social work. Goal specificity would increase the likelihood that I would achieve the goal. I want to be admitted into a top ten graduate school for social work right after getting my bachelor’s degree. My top choices right now are Michigan Ann Arbor, which is ranked second, and North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is ranked eighth. In order to achieve this, I need to take the GRE, which is required by North Carolina. I plan on studying for the GRE over the summer and taking it at the beginning of the fall semester. To perform better for the GRE, I should specify which day I will start studying and create a studying schedule. I should also choose the day that I will take the GRE.
I plan on I am getting feedback by visiting with my academic advisor occasionally. My implementation intention is to get good grades to keep raising my grade point average. I will study for the GRE over the summer and take the test sometime in September. I will then apply to five different schools in September or October. I could increase the difficulty by trying to get straight As for the rest of my college career. I would also research what type of GRE scores North Carolina is looking for and set my bar higher. I will focus on the steps to achieve my goal which will increase the likelihood of reaching it.
Terms: Goal specificity, feedback, goal difficulty, implementation intention
I have many goals that I want to accomplish with in the next 2-3 years or so, but first I must start by saying that my present state and my ideal state are not exactly lining up the way I would like them to right now. There is a discrepancy currently going on in my life, specifically discrepancy reduction. I have had some life circumstances thrown my way that have completed changed some of my goals and have set back some of my goals. The goal I would like to focus on currently would be becoming an occupational therapist. There are several things from the chapter that could help me with achieving this goal.
An important part of the chapter that would be helpful for me to achieve my goal is putting in motion implementation intentions. I know the things that I have to do before becoming a therapist, but I need to define the timeline in which the steps of reaching my goal can be met along the way. For example, I need to graduate in May, I already am working on passing my classes in order to graduate. The next things for me to do is complete the application process to get into the school I want to get into, however I have not set myself a deadline for that, the school deadline however is October. I would like to have mine done by mid-August. After that, I need to complete the prerequisites for the program before i can be accepted into the program. After getting into the program and starting it in August of 2013, I would need to spend time set up clinical and finishing the program. Once I am finished with the program and have my degree, I will have to complete the licensers examine to be qualified in the state to practice. So I think it is important that I start defining my implementation intentions for my goal, and soon.
Another thing from the chapter that I think will be important for me along the way, is setting short term goals to keep focused on my long term goals. For example, just getting goals like graduating on time, passing my prerequisite classes, getting into the program, etc. I have always had goals along the way with other long term goals I have had, but I find more than ever this is very important for me to focus on in order to get to where I want to be.
Another thing from the chapter that I know is extremely important for me is feedback. I have always strived to achieve my goal by having positive feedback from others and myself along the way. I am a very emotionally driven person so it is especially important for me to have positive feedback along the way in order to feel like my long term goal is possible to achieve.
Overall, there are something that I can do to improve the likelihood for my to achieve the goals I have set out for myself.
Terms: present state, ideal state, discrepancy, discrepancy reduction, implantation intentions, long term goals, short term goals, feedback, positive feedback, emotion achievement.
One long-term goal I presently have in mind to eventually achieve or come close to achieving is to get a good job in my career area. I will have my BA in Psychology this May and have earned a certificate in Conflict Resolution, which is the specific way I’d like to go- career wise. Knowing the current job market with its lower employment ratio, the possibility for failure becomes increased, also raising the stress level and may get me thinking a bit skeptically. However, because I know that specifically I would like to work in the court system, it gives me more direction as to what I need to do to achieve this goal.
First of all, before I graduate, I need to begin researching jobs down towards the Iowa City or Des Moines area, where court caseloads are plentiful, thus increasing the need for mediation and CR personnel. I do plan to take some time off after graduation (as I will be less than five months away from having my baby), and this will give me extra time to research and get some contacts set up/made.
By this time next year, I hope to make some decisions about which location I prefer to live in because moving is a big change for me and my family, taken very seriously. Goal commitment is high right now because I am hopeful and excited about what the future holds. I will need positive support and feedback from family and friends along the way to help keep me motivated. Those will be small incentives, as will the thought of me doing what I really want to do and being able to help support my family. I’d try to set a reasonable and attainable timeframe within which to accomplish this goal. In about eighteen months from now, I would like to assess my progress and possibly reevaluate plans as needed.
I will need help from family and friends when I would need to travel to attend interviews and do any hands-on research I need to do in order to get started in my future career. But knowing I have the ability and the knowledge to do the job I want to do will be a reinforcer along the way, despite the fact that all the while knowing I don’t have the professional experience. I will try not to let the before mentioned aspect be a negative, but will instead focus on what getting a job in my career choice area would mean to my family. This will not be an easy goal to attain because it entails various parts to achieve. However, the little parts will hopefully make the long-term goal more like many short-term goals linked together and my commitment level and intrinsic motivation will remain high most of the time until I do achieve this goal.
TERMS: feedback, ability, goal, long-term/short-term goals, commitment, performance, intrinsic motivation
I have many goals for my life. Two main medium sized goals that I am focusing on right now are graduating with my BA in May 2013 and finding a job after that. My short term goal is to graduate next May and my long term goal would be to put my degree to use.
One way I am going to accomplish my goal is to frequently meet with my academic adviser and make sure I am on the right track and get some feedback from her. I want to get any advice from her that I can. Also, I need to make sure I get into all the classes I need to finish my degree. I have a commitment to my studies and I need to keep my grades up. I need to make sure when it's time to performance that I performance well. My present state right now is a little nervous because I just changed my major last semester and I am meeting with my adviser next week to makes sure I am on track. My ideal state would be positive that I am graduating next May. Once I figure all of that out that will be easier for me to focus more on my long term goal of finding a career.
My second goal is to find a job after graduation. I know in today's economy it's not the easiest thing to do. Any job would be nice to get some experience. Ultimately, I want to find a job that I enjoy and can stay at for a long time. I know that if I do not find a job I want to go back to school to get my master's degree.
Terms: long term goals, short term goals, commitment, performance, feedback, present state, ideal state
One of my many goals is to be accepted into grad school within the next year to study Speech Pathology. Currently I am open to any school that will take me, but there are various short term goals that need to be completed before I get into grad school. First I need to start studying for the GRE, once I have passed the GRE I can start applying to grad schools around the country. The better I do on my GRE, the better chance I have at being accepted. If I am successful in getting into grad school, I will have to move everything there, find a place to live and work, and settle in before the semester starts. Within any long term goal, there is a series of short term goals.
I consider this goal rather difficult, because it is going to be very time consuming. However, as of right now it is not very specific, because I need to pass the GRE before I can even start applying. My GRE score will act as a discrepancy reduction, because it will allow me to compare my present state with my ideal state. When considering discrepancy creation, by going to grad school I am planning for my future. As soon as I graduate, I will search for an ideal career that lies within my studied field.
In order to achieve this goal, I need to focus on my short term goals first. Once those are completed I can move on to the next. I have already accepted this goal because I chose to do it myself; no one else is asking me to pursue this other than myself. Everything I have mentioned so far, I already planned on or thought about. Now I need to visualize success to prevent any negatives from interfering with my goal.
With all this in mind, daily distractions are putting off my short term goals. As of right now, I am considerably busy with school and haven’t had much time to study for the GRE. Yet I will be graduating in 8 weeks and I can dedicate more of my time to study.
Terms: Long term goal, short term goal, discrepancy reduction, discrepancy creation, goal difficulty, goal specificity, goal acceptance
I have a specific long-term goal to work with other disabled vets at the VA as a rehabilitation or mental health counselor. I have intrinsic motivation, interest, and passion for this work, as well as a strong sense of affiliation with other disabled veterans; all of which should help me to maintain my persistence in reaching my goal.
I quit my job as an inventory manager because the work was not satisfying. I compared my present state with my ideal state, and decided that helping veterans would be a more rewarding career choice for me.
To achieve that goal, I need to have an implementation intention (i.e., a specific, strategic plan). The steps in my implementation intention are short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals in themselves. Each step presents a challenge and an opportunity for positive reinforcement/feedback, so I should be able to maintain my motivation and interest. By breaking the long-term goal down into more manageable short-term goals, I will also be able to track my progress toward my long-term goal, and adjust my efforts to reach a desired standard (based primarily on the external requirements inherent to the goal). This will also help to reinforce my internal locus of control and sense of autonomy, as I devise my own strategy for reaching my goal.
The short-term goals include:
Find out what kind of training is necessary for such a job. √
Find out about rehabilitation and mental health counseling degree programs. √
Choose and find out more about a specific program. √
Take classes in psychology and counseling to increase my background knowledge for the program. √
Volunteer to work in a similar work context. √
Apply for the program. √
Take the GRE. √
Ask for recommendations for the program. √
Write Statement of Purpose for application for the program. √
Complete application for the program. √
Develop ways to increase motivation regarding short-term goals. (In progress.)
Improve study habits. (In progress.)
Intermediate-term goals include:
Be accepted into program. (In progress.)
Find out about class schedules.
Look for accommodations in Iowa City.
Apply to UI Student Disability Services.
Suggest to girlfriend that she keep an eye out for a better job in Iowa City. √
Pack and prepare for move (if required).
Try to take on multiple internships.
Increase activity with veterans groups and Linked-In community.
Attend and perform well in courses.
Complete the program.
Long-term goals include:
Perform job search.
Research jobs and locations.
Apply for suitable jobs.
Prepare for interviews.
Select and get hired for the best possible job.
The program I decided on (the MA in Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling program at UI) was recommended to me by my VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, who is himself a graduate of the same program. This gave him a high degree of credibility, which in turn gave me a high degree of acceptance for that particular goal.
Terms: long-term goal, implementation intention, credibility, acceptance, short- term goals, intermediate- term goals, long-term goals, positive reinforcement, feedback, persistence, internal locus of control, autonomy, affiliation, present state, ideal state
Some time in my life I would really like to run a marathon. I would like to do this before I am 25, and I am almost 21 now. This goal will be difficult to achieve which means my performance should be increased. Currently, in my present state, I usually run about 3 miles on average, so I have a long ways to go before I can achieve my ideal state of running 26.2 miles. The first thing that I need to work on is pacing myself. During my sophomore year in college (last year) I focused on trying to be fast for 5k’s. This was good for my performance in 5k’s however it has made it so I just want to go fast when I run. Going at the speed I prefer to run, I get worn out by the time I reach 4 or 5 miles. This is problem when I want to run further. So my first mini goal is to learn to pace myself.
My second mini goal within my long-term goal is to do a half marathon. This would help me to get a feel for doing a long distance race, but it would only be 13.1 miles. This would help in the training for my long-term goal. This would also be good feedback for my performance. I would be able to gage where I am at and what it takes mentally and physically to do this. If I do not perform well this will be discrepancy creation, showing me where I am now and where I need to be in the future. The important things about this goal is that I have a time I want to achieve it by, mini-goals along the way, and difficulty.
Terms: Goal, long-term goal, discrepancy creation, difficulty, present state, ideal state, feedback
I have many long-term goals that I want to accomplish within the next few years but the one that I want to discuss is preparing for the police academy. I will graduate from UNI in December and from there I want to find a job with a police department. Finding a job is a long-term goal in its own but I have much preparing to do before that moment comes.
Preparing for the academy will take much of my time and contains several short-term goals. I feel that preparing for the academy is the goal to discuss because of its difficulty and specificity. When a goal has a high difficulty and specificity it results in high effort and high attention that in turn drives my behavior. Preparing for the police academy will be very difficult for me because I have no idea what to expect and must prepare myself for the worst. This long-term goal also has a high level of specificity because I know exactly what I want to get in shape for. I don’t just want to get in shape because I feel like it; I want to do it for my career and my chance at a successful future.
The reason for setting my short and long-term goals is because there is much discrepancy between my ideal and present state. I feel like I am prepared mentally but my physical state is far from ideal. This in turn motivates my behavior to get to my ideal state.
I feel like feedback will play a great role in accomplishing my long-term goal and that is why I have started designing a log that keeps track of my progress. This log will keep track of my mile times, crunches in two minutes, weight loss, marksmanship, and close combat training. As discussed in class and in the textbook, feedback is needed to maximize performance by comparing progress in relation to the goal. This information is very important to me because my previous plan was to gradually increase my workout and spend more time on dieting. Having a better understanding of working towards goals will help me in the long run with my career, social life, and finances.
Something that wasn’t really talked about in class that I feel contributes a great deal to me accomplishing my goals is social support. Everybody loves to listen to friends compliment them for losing weight and putting on muscle and I feel like this is even more important for me. My roommate also agreed to work out with me and that will help me stay on track and not skip any workouts.
Long term goals, short-term goals, difficulty, specificity, motivation, behavior, and feedback
I want to lose weight, and be healthier. My present state is unhealthy, and my ideal state is healthy. I honestly have struggled with this since junior year of high school. I constantly try to start exercise plans or diets that never last. I discovered that when I do badly at a workout, I let it bring me down; while other have those moments make them try harder. I feel this is my moment of acceptance of my goal. I am going to make a goal to lose 50lbs in a year. This is a reachable goal whereas if I just lose 5lbs a month I can not only succeed, but excel. However, if I do badly, I won’t be too far off. The main goal, would to make it stay off. In order for this to work, I need to imply a lot of different strategies, because once I get to my goal, if it’s not fun I will quit. This needs to become a regular part of my daily life. The ideas I came up with are, switch up workout types to keep it interesting, make sure there is some fun in it, commit to a schedule to do it (and make-up if something comes up), keep track of my progress, give incentives, and one more big one. I will list all the reasons why I’m even doing this. I would like to keep those personal and not post it, but with the list, I will be more motivated every time I read it. Each week, I will make a plan of ways to workout, and then do them that week. Before each workout, I will read my “Reasons Why” list to motivate me. Also, something to add to this is music to pump me up.
When I keep track of how much I lost vs. how much I have left to go, this will push me, whether I’m doing well or not. If I’m doing well, then I know I can do it, so I will continue; if I didn’t do as well as I hoped, then it will push me to try harder. This will keep me in check with my feedback of my goal. Each week I will form min-goals from finish a dance workout video, to use weight machines for 30 minutes, or to bike for an hour. These are the goals that are going to need to be difficult and specific. Each week would focus on increasing performance. With fun and new ways to keep interested, I will be more motivated to get up and exercise. I will realistically workout 3 days a week, for an hour.
Since I will be starting this now, I have a better chance to lose in the end. During the cold months I won’t have as many choices, so I may not lose as much. However, if I get started now, I won’t be so behind for “bikini season!” Although, for the future, I will add more ideas for staying motivated. When I am pregnant/ have kids, I will go for walks. When I’m frustrated about stress, I will join a dance club or something that gives me space to get away from it all while getting a good workout.
With these short-term goals, I believe I can reach my long-term goal. The motivation may be difficult, but once I start having fun with this, it will pay off. Because of the difficulty in staying motivated, my performance will be more directed to do better. I am looking forward to making this goal become an achievement.
Goal setting has never been a strong suit of mine and I rarely even set them to begin with. This is definitely something I need to work on because of the goal I have right now.I hope to gain acceptance into the Adler Institute in Chicago where I can further my studies in sport psychology. Upon graduation from Adler, I hope to be eligible to sit for the Licensed Professional Counselor examination in Illinois. With additional supervised experience, I'll be eligible to sit for the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors examination in Illinois. In addition, I can apply for credentialing in sport psychology as a provisional Certified Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. With additional supervised experience, I will be eligible to become fully certified by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (CC-AASP). This is a large goal and requires many steps and successes in order to pursue it. My main motivation come from my perceived ideal state of being. I crave to have this career and I can picture the ideal state after becoming fully certified with AASP. My goal is fairly specific because I know what credentials i have to obtain in order to follow the steps in the school. There is no confusion in my process which will help me and my short term goals are spelled out by the requirements of the institute. As far as difficulty it is definitely within my grasp, but certainly no cake walk. Since I am very capable of receiving good grades I know the material can't overcome me. However, the difficulty is raised by the fact that I must impress others during an admittance interview and the time it will take to finish this goal is difficult making this an ideal level for my goal. Feedback will provide me with some estimate of how I am doing and whether I am making the short term goals I need to. Evaluations by teachers, and respected others will show me the way and keep me on track for my goal. I hope to use positive self-talk to combat one of the criticism of goal setting theory which is the idea of negative performance feedback. These many qualifications for goal setting will allow me to attain this hefty goal and have a huge sense of pride after I achieve it.
One year from now I would like to have a job that provides stability and is enjoyable. I am graduating in May and have been applying for many jobs within the past month. My short-term goal is to apply for jobs on Monday nights. After I finish my Monday blog, I look up jobs that pertain to my major, and some that don’t, and apply for them. This involves contacting references, writing cover letters, adjusting my resume, etc. I’m currently happy with the amount of jobs that I have applied for in this time frame. The majority of the jobs that I am applying for are at assisted living facilities helping people with disabilities and behavioral problems. The majority of these jobs have a high turnover rate, but I believe the experiences that I will gain will be very beneficial to every other job I may have. People employed at these types of jobs typically do not stay there very long because they are not getting paid well, the hours aren’t the greatest, and it can be physically and mentally too demanding. This type of job is also related to my major, which is important because I am not going to grad school right after I complete my undergrad so gaining experience would be a good place to start if I plan on getting my masters someday. I used corrective motivation by making the choice to wait to apply to graduate school because the economy is not the best and I’m not sure what the job market will be like by the time I’m done with school. Instead I decided to gain experience which will hopefully be valuable when searching for other jobs. In order to achieve the goal of having a job I feel stable at I need to formulate a plan. This means figuring out what exactly is important to me and how to achieve it. After working with a company for a year I would hope to gain some seniority if everything goes according to plan and hopefully get to pick hours that are similar to normal business hours.
I have applied for a couple jobs that I was no qualified for. Due to my lack of experience and knowledge in the medical field, they did not hire me. This was considered negative feedback to me because it made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, when really, if I had the knowledge, I might be able to handle those jobs. My goal acceptance in this particular example matched my interest level because I do not have medical terminology knowledge nor do I have experience working in a hospital setting. In the future (which is now) I will continue to apply to jobs that pertain to my major. Even though I was not hired for the job I was under qualified for, I will still continue to apply to jobs that I don’t seem qualified for. Someone may want to give me a chance and teach me the ropes in order to achieve my long term goals.
Terms: short-term goal, long-term goal, acceptance, negative feedback, pertain, stability, corrective motivation, achieve, goal acceptance, interest level
My Goal
My long term goal that I want to accomplish is to get into a good physical therapy graduate school for the semester of summer/fall 2013. For this long term goal there are many steps. Which after reading this chapter I realize isn’t a bad thing. My plan is to break this long term goal into more little short term ones. This will allow for many positive things. First off it will help me stay on track. Secondly it will help give me more feedback so I can evaluate where I am at as well as giving me those positive little boosts to keep me going and interested. This goal is both very difficult because only 20% of people who apply to physical therapy grad school get into it the first year they apply. This goal is also specific in the career path that I want to take for the purpose of giving me direction.
For my goal implementation intentions I want to break this long term goal into more shorter goals and put a specific time on it. The first step I need to do is get an internship for this summer. My goal for this is to call three different hospitals that I have shadowed at and see if I can internship with them by March 31. The second step in this process is to get letters of recommendation from three different sources (I need this to apply to PT grad school) by April 25. Lastly I need to send in my application. This is all done on line and I can’t do this until after I am done with an internship. I would like to have my internship done by June 30, so with this in mind my goal is to apply to three different PT grad schools by July 20. With all of these little goals the theory is that it will help me stay on track and avoid setbacks.
My goal that I have had for the past year or more is to lose weight. My “freshman fifteen” quickly became an issue and I have been unable to lose the weight. Therefore, I been trying to set goals and implement a plan to help me loose this weight.
The first issue I ran into while trying to develop a “game plan” was related to goal specificity, or how clear your goal is. “Losing weight” or “being healthy” are very vague goals. Therefore, I refined my goals by writing down the specific weight that I would like to reach. I found my ideal weight (or my ideal state) by looking at my BMI calculations and by thinking back to when I was at my healthiest weight. My target weight is 160 lbs. This gives me a specific point to strive for.
The next obstacle I was faced with was goal difficulty. In my ideal world, I would be at my ideal state next week for Spring Break. But that is not happening. I think issue with weight loss is that it is a long-term goal, and therefore, people get impatient when they put so much effort into seeing the results they want and do not get the instantaneous positive reinforcement. One way to combat this is to set a series of short-term goals, such as losing two pounds a week. The advantage to doing this is that it allows for regular feedback on the progress you are making as well as offer opportunities for positive reinforcement for reaching that weekly goal or possibly punishment in the form of maintaining or gaining weigh for not sticking with the plan.
Unfortunately, there is a huge discrepancy between goal-directed thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, implementation intentions are very important to attaining weight loss goals. By deciding in advance the specific plans of actions to take in starting, persisting, or resuming behavior, implementation intentions help buffer against environmental stress and volitional problems that are bound to occur. For instance, I could create a workout schedule for next week to help ensure that I go to the gym. By creating a definite start time, the behavior almost becomes automatic because it decreases the amount of cognitive effort required of me at that time. Instead of stressing about going to the gym, I can see it as a part of my schedule. As stated in the book, “Implementation intentions create habits” (quoted in textbook, pg. 224). Another tactic I could use in relation to implantation intentions is to enlist support from my significant other. If I miss one workout and am tempted to skip the next one, Kris (my boyfriend) can keep me accountable. This is help with persistence and reengagement during goal pursuit.
Overall, weight loss can be a daunting task. But if broken down into its fundamental elements (burning more calories than you are consuming), people can monitor their behavior and use that feedback to alter their behavior so that the discrepancy between their present and ideal states can be diminished. For this reason, I think it is important to break down long-term goals into a series of short-term goals because it will likely increase persistence, which as we have seen, is the name of the game when it comes to motivation and goal attainment.
Terms: plan, goal specificity, ideal state, goal difficulty, long-term goal, positive reinforcement, short-term goals, punishment, implantation intention, persistence, discrepancy, present state
I have many goals but my most important goal is graduating from UNI spring 2013.When I graduate in spring 2013 that will mean I graduated in 4 years, and I have a timeline of when I should graduate with my Ba. So that I can start Grad school and finish by the time I’m 24. Once I graduate I can start planning even further from there. In order to make sure that I do graduate spring 2013 there are steps from chapter eight I should take into consideration when planning how to successfully achieve my goal.
First I should use the Tote model to create energy and direct my behavior to complete steps to reach my goal. I need to compare my present state to my ideal state. I will experience incongruity which will allow me to compare my present and ideal state to see what the differences are. This will show me where I’m at and compare it to where I want to be. My present state would be a junior and my ideal state would be a UNI graduate with a ba of psychology. I would need to use Corrective motivation is used when planning and goal setting. This is a process that would try to reduce incongruity. I would start off by setting a goal that is more difficult so that I wouldn’t get bored, setting difficult goals would lead me to be more persistent. Persistence would encourage me to achieve my goal. I would start off my setting semester goals to make sure that I take it one semester at a time and by meeting with my teachers to get feedback. I would set specific goals to increase my chances of achieving my goal. More specific goals have a high success rate. My specific goals would be to get an A or B in each class each semester and to graduate in May 2013. I would need to strive towards my goal and weigh out different situations and solutions in case I was to encounter some problems when trying to succeed. For example think of a way to pass the class, if I fail a test. I need to be able to make sure a solution is available for any situation this is implementation intentions.Through these steps from Chapter 8 I will be able to successfully achieve my goal and graduate in spring of 2013.
Key term: TOTE model ,incongruity, present state, ideal state. Corrective motivation
After reading the Happiness Project I have decided to create several medium goals that add up to a year. Essentially I will have 12 goals that will each be focused upon for a month but be built upon for the rest of my lifetime. It is a goal of mine to allow myself time to format the details of my happiness project goals.
However, in terms of a long-term goal I have one main one: to get into Graduate School for Guidance Counseling/Psychology. This is a long term goal as it will take place over the next year and it is one goal on which I am focusing. Further, once accepted, though my goals may change slightly, for the following two years, my goals will still revolve around graduate school.
I have formed a plan in which I have already completed my statement of purpose and curriculum vita. I am also constantly working on improving my grades and striving for as high of a GPA as possible. I have planned my schedule carefully as to meet the requirements necessary for success in earning my Bachelors and preparation for a Grad program. I am also looking at various graduate programs to which I may want to apply, trying to better my networking, doing research, and generally learning about how to make myself more marketable. Working on the completion and improvement of all of this points are my short-term goals. They are small scale and I complete them with each succeeding month. For example, this month I am focusing on networking and learning more about the Psychology club and Psi Chi fraternity and their psychological involvement throughout campus and the Cedar Valley. The hope is that I will be better apt to achieve another sub-goal of networking if I first learn more about involvement.
I am motivated to work toward this goal as I need to achieve it in order to do what I love for the rest of my life as my career. The purpose of my education is to get a job. In order to get the job that I desire and work in a field that I love, I will need to push myself and get accepted by and complete a graduate program in my studies.
I am going through processes of corrective motivation as I am motivated to correct all the errors of my ways and work hard to perfect all of the aspects that tie into my major and my success in grad. school. In correcting my mistakes, I am able to better focus on my main goal and improve my likelihood of success. I also hope to increase my persistence and level of effort as I energize my behavior. I hope to increase my energy and excitement in my goal to get into grad. school. By increasing my level of excitement, and thus my effort and enhance my performance levels, my performance will also improve and I will be more likely to achieve my goal.
Another short-term goal is to send my application to a variety of schools in order to increase the odds that I might get accepted into at least one school. I will consider acceptance letters to be positive reinforcement and I will also try to increase opportunities to get feedback on my progress by meeting with professors and peers who can help me edit and improve my work. Encouragement and reflection will aid in helping me to want to continue on the path toward my goal.
My interests in counseling and psychology continue to grow as I am encouraged by positive feedback and pushed to work harder by negative feedback. I am working on setting and achieving short-term goals with my research, studies, and completing the application process. These short term goals will all contribute to my wishful, eventual success in my long-term goal.
Terms: long-term goal, planning, short-term goals, involvement, sub-goals, motivation, corrective motivations, achieve, persistence, energized behavior, enhanced performance, effort, success, feedback, positive reinforcement, reflection, encouragement, negative feedback.
My long term goal, like most psychology majors, is to go to graduate school. I would like to get into a graduate program for clinical counseling and eventually get my doctorate. Getting my doctorate is my ideal state and will take lots of persistence and motivation since it will take at least six years. From the textbook, with a goal this long, I will need to set up some short term goals.
My present state is that I am an undergraduate. To even get to graduate school or get my doctorate, I will need to apply to graduate school and do the requirements needed to get into it. Taking the GRE is one of the important steps to get into a graduate program. I will have to study and maybe take pre-tests to be prepared for it. This is where the present state and the ideal state comes in. The present state is where I am studying and how prepared I am for the GRE. My ideal state is to be prepared and comfortable so I will be able to achieve a high score. Receiving a high score on the GRE will be a short term goal.
Next I will have to write a personal statement and a vitae. This is where the TOTE model comes in. I can write my personal statement and vitae (test), then have someone review and edit it (operate), I would revise it (test), and send them in (exit).
I will look for look for graduate programs to apply to and after acquiring all the materials needed, I will sending them in. I will have to wait for a response to whether I am accepted or not. Being accepted into a graduate program will be my feedback. Whether I am accepted into a master's program or directly into a doctorate program will determine if I have to go through the master's program and apply to doctorate programs. Regardless, that would be a short term goal. With these short term goals, persistence, and intrinsic motivation, they will help me achieve my long term goal of getting my doctorate.
A long-term goal I have for myself is to be in the best shape I have ever been in my life in one year. I have had this idea in mind for awhile, but before this assignment, I hadn’t taken the time to map it out for myself. Therefore, it never got done. I would start to work toward that idea, but soon I would run out of motivation and quit.
The incongruity between my present state and my ideal state notified me of the need for change. I realized that this change was not going to just happen; I would have to work toward that change. With a long-term goal in mind, I could stay motivated. In addition, I could make smaller short-term goals along the way to keep myself motivated and focused on what I want to accomplish. This would remind me of what I am working for. Furthermore, this would remind me why I am working for that goal. I am pretty intrinsically motivated to exercise. I will have to be careful not to let my goals undermine my intrinsic motivation. I have a certain standard that I hold myself to. I do not let myself go easy if I want to accomplish something.
In my present state, I am not very fit. In my ideal state, I will be able to run longer distances (about 5 miles) on a regular basis at a good pace. This pace will be determined when I start to run more. I will look at times I have achieved in the past and compare them to where I am now. This is referred to as goal choice. My goal needs to be attainable for my level of ability. From there, I can develop short-term goals. At first, these goals could be to work up to running 5 miles, a mile at a time. I would then work on increasing my pace. After I determine where I am, I can make my goals more specific. This will increase my focus, attention, and performance. Reaching these short-term goals serves as an incentive to reach my next goal, and eventually, my long-term goal. My goal would obviously be difficult, as it involves progressing past the highest level of fitness I have ever achieved.
After a period of time, I would seek out feedback from others. I would talk to them about what I am doing and ask them how they think I am progressing and what they think of my short-term goals. Their responses will help me to adjust my goals as needed and keep me motivated to continue my efforts.
Terms: long-term goal, motivation, incongruity, present state, ideal state, short-term goal, standard, incentive, intrinsic motivation, goal choice, specific, difficult, feedback