Your Goal

I have a long-term goal of taking a trip to a different country next summer. I have never been outside of the U.S. and I would love to save up enough money in order to go on vacation or go on a mission trip to a different country. I have been interested in some of the missions trips my church does to Belize, Cambodia, Honduras and other places. The typical cost of a trip like that is around $3500. Many times, you can raise support in order to go, but I would love to be able to save up enough money so that I can go regardless of if I raise money from others. In order to reach this goal, I need to save $1750 (half of the money) by December 2013. If I want to have saved $3500 by June 2014 I need to save around $220 every month. That is a lot of money! Especially now, as a college student. But I also have the goal of having a full-time job in the fall, as I graduate this summer. So once I have a full-time job, I will be able to save more than I can now. This is going to be difficult, but it will also be good because it will cause me to look at my finances and figure out a budget. Once I know what my summer job will look like and how much money I will be earning, I can make a budget for the summer and set aside an amount for savings.

For the rest of this semester I can set aside $50 per month to get started on this goal. My expectation to have all of that money saved by June 2014 may be a little high, but I can always re-evaluate that goal once I know what my financial situation will be for the summer and for the fall. I also can start looking into what part of the world I am passionate and interested in visiting. Once I know where I would like to go, I can calculate exactly how much it would cost to go there. Or I can look into what missions trips are going there and how much those cost. I don't want to go out of the country to visit for no reason, so I would love to go on a missions trip or figure out some way to add purpose into a fun vacation. This long-term goal is one of many, but I think with specific smaller goals in saving money and finding the right place to go, I will be able to accomplish this.

I am getting married in the summer of 2014 which is still a ways off but one of my long-term goals to go along with that is saving up money for my future husband and me to go on a nice honeymoon. We know that we want to go somewhere that is tropical but we also want to go on a trip that won’t completely break the bank. (Poor from going to college.) We know what kind of a trip we want to take but in order to make that dream/goal a reality we must have a plan. My goal is specific and I have been receiving feedback and a little criticism (constructive) from friends and family. They have brought to my attention the fact that we have to save money for other things as well and have given me lots of travel agency options to consider. (Some that may have better prices than others.) After we’ve compared prices we will choose a travel agency. This goal will be plenty difficult with just the money aspect. (At least right now) It will be a challenge for both me and my fiancé. One strategy that will help is that we will both chip in money to pay for the cost. A large sum is much easier to pay when it is split up between more than one person.
I feel that I will be able to reach this goal along with my future husband. If we follow the steps listed within the text it will be much easier to achieve our goal.

My long term goal is to complete my thesis for graduate school by May 2014. This goal is something that I will need to complete in parts because of all that it entails. My topic for my goal is to compare the aggregate health statuses of a company who participates in the Iowa Blue Zones Project to a company who does not participate in the Iowa Blue Zones Project. I have conducted a wellness screening on both companies, and I intend to complete another screening in the fall (one year after the implementation of the Iowa Blue Zones Project). Within the next year I would like to complete my literature review, finish collecting my data, analyze my data, determine my results, and make some conclusions. My goal is ambitious, but it is not too difficult that it is not realistic. Because it is at a difficultly I am comfortable with, I anticipate that I will continue to strive to do well in reaching my goal. I have created a specific timeline for to reach my goal; thus I have created a plan. I will continually receive feedback about my thesis from my committee chair and committee members which will be helpful in obtaining my end result. I have completed the steps in table 8.1 on page 226 of our book, and this has been helpful for me this far.

A goal that I have set for myself for the next 12-15 months is paying off my credit card. I have made good progress in the past, but always let my temptation of want take over and end up right back where i started. My credit is good as i do not miss payments and always pay more than the minimum, but it bugs me to constantly have to think about monthly payments on something that wasn't an absolute necessity.
This time around i will use valuable information that I learned in chapter 8. Once a goal has been set, it does not inevitably and automatically translate itself into effective performance. Further, i find this to be consistent with how i used to approach this goal, as i have set it before but was unsuccessful. My biggest problem as i have said is persisting and finishing when i encounter those 'temptations' or distractions of want. In order to overcome this adversity i have decided to implement one of the key features of chapter 8. I must first translate my goal into action and formulate implementation intentions that specify a plan as to when (make payments twice a month), where, how (automatically deduct it from my paycheck the day i receive it), and for how long i am to act on a certain task. This will work well to give me constant structure to keep my thinking on track with the end sight. Further this will develop a cognitive perspective on motivation focuses via mental processes to recognize obstacles and bypass potential setbacks. By integrating these principles I will also set forth a strategic reoccuring evaluation that will give me feedback as to where i stand along the way towards my goal. For instance, every three months i will check my progress and make sure that I am on task or above the threshold. I feel with this understanding and motivational focus on feedback, implementation intentions, and realistic mindset I can use the tools learned in chapter 8 to reach my goal and finally have my credit card paid off in full in my desired time frame.
I see this time being more apt to being successful because i have methodically worked out a plan as to how i plan to accomplish the feat. In the past I just said i would pay it off and a week later i was using the card again letting my desires take hold. With this plan in place, thanks to chapter 8, i feel i now have the tools and right approach to tackle the goal in a reasonable manner.

My long term goal that I plan to accomplish is to complete my honors thesis by May 2014. This is something that is very important to me because not only by accomplishing this will I graduate with honors from the university, but also I know it will be something that will look great on my academic resume when I apply to graduate school. However, due to the difficulty of this goal, this will be something I will have to complete in parts. I have accepted this as a good goal for myself because it fulfills all the factors that are needed to accept a goal: it has an acceptable perceived level of difficulty, I am taking part in the goal setting process, I feel I am a credible source in assigning this goal, and the extrinsic incentives of honors and grad school are in place. I have already taken the initial step in the goal setting process by specifying the objective to be accomplished (completing the honors thesis) and defining the goal difficulty (difficulty level: hard). The next step in my process is to clarify the specificity of the goal. I know I want to write my thesis based on my field experience I will be completing this upcoming fall. However, I have not yet been assigned my field placement and therefore do not have a clear idea on what topic I will choose to write about. Although I still have over a year to complete my goal, I am thankful to be beginning this process now. It will be difficult, but I will have many advisors and peers that will provide constructive feedback throughout the entire process.

My long term goal is to obtain a Master of Arts in Psychology, specifically Industrial-Organizational Psychology. As it is my junior year, I have begun to consider the steps that I must take in order to achieve this goal in the next few years. To start, I began doing research into things that I can do to prepare for applying to different graduate schools. I started by obtaining an internship last summer, to start building my work-related experience. Next, I found information about the IO certificate that UNI offers, and discovered that there were only a few classes left that I needed to take so that I could receive it (this class being one of them).

Grades are important to get accepted into a school, and I have been working hard to raise them to a level that I feel is acceptable. I have used discrepancy creation, as my current grades are not what I believe that my ideal grades could be. Once my grades reach the level that I believe is satisfactory, this discrepancy will be solved.

Other important aspects include finding recommendations from high-standing individuals that can vouch for how decent of a human being I am. Last semester I was a TA for a different psychology professor, and I feel that this was a good start. I understand that I need to continue to build my relationships with those who can help me get to where I want to go.

I feel comfortable about where I am with achieving my goal of attending and graduating with a degree from a Master’s program. I truly feel that putting your goals in writing is essential to achieving them. This gives you a guideline to follow, and helps you to feel much more comfortable about the progress you are making. This assignment has definitely done that for me.

A goal that I have for next year is to graduate from UNI. Using what I know from reading this chapter, I can make that goal attainable. First, I have to make a plan, and I’ve already started with that. Since I’m a junior, most of my classes are done, I know that I need to have one more semester of 15 credit hours and another semester of 14 credit hours and I will have graduated. I would also, if possible, like to take one or two summer classes so that I have even more under my belt which would then make the next two semesters even more possible to attain. So my next step in figuring out if I can do that would be to see if any of the classes that I still need to graduate are offered in the summer or online.

Another way that I need to make sure I graduate is to not only take the classes, but receive good grades as well. I’m a type of person who likes to use discrepancy creation as a way of success. I know that for most of my classes, I only need a C+ to make it count as a course I successfully completed. However, I want to do better than a C+ and I strive for A’s. Not only do I make myself work harder at trying to receive those A’s (goal difficulty), but once I do receive them (feedback), it gives me even more motivation to keep going. So in this case, I not only have a goal, but I’m also getting the feedback that I need to maximize my performance of attaining the goal of graduation. And since I have also decided for myself to go to school and receive a degree, I have accepted the goal so I am more likely to try and achieve that goal.

Furthermore to attain this goal, I will use short-term goals, which will be each individual class and with each class there will be tests. So with each test, it will give me motivation to keep going, and with each class I pass, my short-term goal is complete and when all of the classes that I need to complete are done, then I will have successfully received my degree. So in this case, I am using a bunch of short-term goals to get to my long-term goal. I’m ready to be done with school and move on with my life so I am ready to successfully complete this goal of graduation and with the information I have learned from this chapter, I think that there is a high success rate that I can and will graduate!

I have a long term goal of getting my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In order to do this I need to build up my resume by joining school organizations, volunteering at the VA Hospital, being a TA, and being an RA. I would also like to work with a psychologist this summer, possibly as an intern. Next I need to study hard and diligently for the GRE test that I am taking in the fall. For this, I will buy studying books and make flash cards and study while working at my summer job. After applying, and hopefully getting into my desired school, I will study more than I do now and not procrastinate as much. While in grad school I hope to become an intern at the VA in Iowa City to build up hours for graduation. Then, after completing my thesis and passing my licencing tests, after hours and hours and hours of studying, I will apply for a job at the VA.
This goal contains the right amount of difficulty for me because I will be forced to push myself harder than I ever had in order to achieve this goal. I have made checkpoints along the path that are specific.

My long-term goal is to successfully defend a dissertation to earn a PhD in either social or clinical psychology. According to the text goals that are both specific and difficult enhance performance and tend to increase effort and persistence. Successfully defending a thesis is very specific and difficult task. The difficulty involved in gaining acceptance to a PhD program and then being successful in the program should lead to a greater amount of effort being devoted to my goal. The specificity will help guide me in knowing where to exert effort. I know that I need to spend a significant amount of time studying for classes, studying for the GRE, being involved in research activities, developing research interests so I can get into a masters program and a program where I will be a good fit. I know that if I make it to graduate school I need to be proactive in developing my thesis and conducting research that contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of psychology. This should help me be accepted to a PhD program and build a foundation of skills and knowledge I would need to successfully complete a PhD dissertation and defense. Knowing where to exert my effort will partly be a result of needing to engage in mental simulations as well.

Mental simulations or visualizing how I will carry out tasks necessary to achieve my goal will improve my chances of actually performing those necessary steps. For example, I could visualize or think about studying for tests, reading all assigned readings, being involved with research, taking the GRE, applying to masters programs, then PhD programs etc... Once I have identified the steps I need to take in order to accomplish that goal, I should create implementation intentions that will bolster the chance that I actually start to do things necessary for achieving my goal. For example committing to studying at least two hours every day in the student union.

I feel motivated to study for those two hours partly because this goal has not been forced upon me by any external force and I do feel intrinsically motivated to accomplish this goal. I should be sure that my motivations for working towards this goal do not shift and cause me to be more motivated by extrinsic factors and rewards which could undermine the amount of effort I exert. There will likely be many uninteresting tasks I will need to engage in and this intrinsic motivation should help me to complete even the uninteresting but necessary tasks I will need to complete such as filling out applications or doing assignments I do not want to do. Though assignments may or may not be interesting I should see them as smaller milestones or goals on the path to my larger goal. Graded tests and assignments have a close enough proximity that they allow me the opportunity to have frequent smaller goals paired with feedback about how well I’m progressing.

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?

My medium to long term goal is to go to graduate school. This is a rather difficult goal because applying and being accepted into grad school is very competitive process. I will be sure to put in the extra effort, persistence, and planning to make this goal a reality. I have not fully decided which program I am most interested, but I have it narrowed down to Master’s Degree in Social Work (M.S.W.) and Master of Arts in School Counseling at UNI. Before I attend grad school there are many short term goals I will have to plan for and complete. Since I am a junior in my undergraduate degree right now and accepted my goal of attending grad school, it is time to start developing plans. The following sections are divided into a timeframe for my implementation intentions, which is my specific plan of how to attain my goal.

(Begin now)
Long-term goals are easier to achieve when multiple short-term goals are in place along the way. My current short-term goals are to determine which classes I still need in order to graduate, plan an internship, consider which faculty I would like to write a letter of recommendation, and to talk to some of my professors about what graduate school is like. Throughout the rest of my undergraduate degree, my goal is to strive to continue to receive the best grades I can. I will read and complete all of the assignments on time and make sure I study for each test. My grades that I receive in class will provide me with feedback on my performance. With this in mind, I will strive to obtain another goal: continuously be on the Dean’s List. Intrinsic motivation is present in wanting to understand the topics covered in class and my interest in learning more about obtaining a Master’s degree.

(Begin this summer)
To begin I need to allow about six months for looking into other schools’ programs. I already know which programs UNI has, but I still need to keep my options open. For the programs at UNI, it is not a requirement to take the GRE, but I may have to if I attend another school, so I will ensure it is taken during the summer before I submit my application.

(September and October 2013)
My plan during these months consist of researching sources of financial aid, carefully examining each of the program applications, and noting any questions or essay topics that will require extra attention. Also, I will write a draft of my graduate admissions essay so a faculty member can read and provide feedback. At this time I will also ask professors for letters of recommendation, provide them with a copy of my transcript, the program’s recommendation form, and ask him or her if there is anything else that I am able to provide to help them.

(November and December 2013)
During the months of November and December, I will arrange for my official transcript to be sent to each program that I applied for by visiting the Registrar's office and requesting that the Registrar hold my transcript until the fall semester grades are in. Applying for fellowships and other sources of financial aid will also occur during this period. I will finalize my admissions essay and seek input from others, and check and record the due date for each application.

(December 2013 and January 2014)
During December and January, I will make sure to complete the application forms for each program, scan the form into my computer for a neat and clean application form, and reread my essays and statement of purpose. If the program does not accept online applications, I will be sure to send it in the mail before the due date. I intend to keep track of the emails and postcards received from each application. If I do not receive a postcard or email, I will contact the admissions office by email or phone to verify that my application had been received before the deadline.

(February 2014)
Currently I am unaware if my field will require an interview for admission, so I may need to start planning for the admissions interviews and determine which questions I will ask. Filling out the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application from my tax forms will happen in February.

(March and April 2014)
I plan to visit schools I have been accepted to aid in narrowing down my options. After I discuss acceptances and rejections with a faculty member at my school I will notify the program of my acceptance, and I will also let other programs know that I am declining the acceptance. From my acceptances and rejections, I am receiving performance feedback from those programs.

Terms: Long-term goal, goal acceptance, short-term goal, goal striving, and performance feedback

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.

One goal that I have had since high school was to complete a marathon. I ran both cross country and track, and I was relatively good at them. My high school running partner also had the same aspirations to run a marathon. Fortunately for him, he has completed this rather challenging goal one summer when I was busy and unable to join him. I, however, still have the task to accomplish.

This is a long-term goal because it will require a large amount of time, energy, dedication, and passion to accomplish. It will take time to get into proper shape and then find a marathon that’s affordable and easy for me to register. Since I have allowed four years to pass without accomplishing this goal, I believe I need help to motivate myself to succeed. Many concepts from chapter eight can be applied to this goal in order to accomplish them.

First, as the authors describe, I need to develop a well established and organized plan that will provide results. Perhaps this can be done by investing into a calendar where I can write out specific running routes, extraneous workouts, and days I can take off. This can be an excellent example of an implementation intention. Marathons typically take at least three months to train for if you’re a layperson. This will help my mentally support since I have an extrinsic support to provide motivation.

This would also be beneficial to provide me with day-to-day goals. If I can accomplish each workout on a day-to-day basis, I will be largely motivated to complete the larger goal. I doubt I would go through three (or more) months of training for a marathon, only to give up on that goal the day of the marathon. Cognitively, that would be illogical and unlikely to happen. This daily habit will also provide me with an adequate amount of feedback for the larger goal. I may be progressing too fast and thus need more time in order to accomplish this goal. Perhaps, I progress too slowly and don’t need the full amount of set time. Additionally, I may find that I need to adjust another aspect of my training, such as my diet or sleep patterns, in order to be successful.

Both physically and mentally this goal is most difficult in the first week or two of training. On the bright side, it becomes much easier to persist in once I establish a routine and get into shape. Unfortunately, since I would probably only start this goal once (unless I decide to run multiple marathons), I only get one shot at starting it. Thus, if I cannot persist in the beginning, I won’t be able to adjust accordingly, and I won’t have positive feedback.
Tags: Extrinsic motivation; feedback; persist; implementation intention

I have a long term goal of becoming healthier and also lose weight. I have had the goal of losing weight for quite a while now, but I have found that, no matter what I do, I still have trouble being healthy. I really think that being a college student is a big factor in being healthy. I am no longer in the dorms and buying my own groceries. Eating healthy means buying food that is a little more expensive. I do currently have a job and have had one throughout college, but it is a very limited income. Between paying for tuition, rent, utilities, and other miscellaneous items, buying good and healthy food is not a big priority. One motivational factor for me of eating healthy is that I, hopefully, will have a full-time job when I graduate in May. With the extra income, I will be able to buy the more expensive food. I also plan on being engaged in a couple of years and I want to eat healthy as a family. Another important motivational reason for me wanting to be healthier is because of my risk of cancer and other diseases. My father had cancer and I want to do everything to decrease my risk. There have been other illness in my family history and I want to be healthy to decrease my risk of those.

There is a discrepancy between my ideal weight and my present weight. I would, ideally, like to weigh anywhere between 20 and 30 pounds less. I am currently still in the test-operate stage in the TOTE model. I look at myself and am not happy, so I operate to try and change it. After a week or two of working out and trying to eat a little better, I look in the mirror and am still not at my ideal weight. Therefore, I go back to the test part. I will only exit the model when I am satisfied with my weight and health. I know that I can do this goal, so I do not consider it to be difficult. The difficult part for me will be to get started. That is always the hardest part. In terms of goal specificity, I keep track of my progress. I also keep track of what I eat every day and any exercise I do in a day. It's motivating to see my progress. When I have a bad day, I know immediately and know what I have to do to change it. Life happens, so not every day is going to be easy.

Having another person with the same goal as myself makes it a lot easier to stay motivated. We often work out together and keep track of our progress. When she is working out and I can't because of some conflict, I always feel guilty, and vice versa. When other people notice your hard work and give you feedback, that is rewarding. In the past year and a half, I have lost 15 pounds. People had noticed and told me I looked good. This made me want to keep going and lose more. In order to achieve this long-term goal, I need to set shorter goals. My first goal is to reduce the amount of fast-food/restaurants that I eat at. It is so easy to just go get something at a restaurant when I am out of food. I think it would make a big difference if I only ate out once a month. This is going to be difficult because I like to go get margarita's with friends on Thursdays! Even though its going to be hard, it is a starting point. Another short-term goal to achieve the longer one, is to stop going to Essentials in the Union! That place is awful for me. I always stop in there when I have a big test to study for or before my night class. If I can have some fruit or veggies instead of candy, it would help a lot.

My goal is... to be physically fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. I will accomplish this by eating healthy by choosing foods which fulfill the recommended daily amounts of nutrients, by exercising daily, by constantly revamping my workouts and by being positive in everyday circumstances.

The steps are very difficult for me because they increase in difficulty once I have accomplished each one, which means constant improvement and effort. However, the incentives and benefits are more energy, more positive self-esteem, a longer lifespan, a positive role model for my future family, and all around a more positive outlook on life. I will be stronger which makes everyday tasks easier and I will also be able to be more active in my older years.

The obstacles I face are varied from day to day. The obstacles in making healthy lifestyle choices vary from choosing to party with friends or get more sleep to work out in the morning to overcoming previous injuries or momentary set backs and plateaus. My knee has been injured for more than four years and I have to regularly exercise to keep the scar tissue from building up. If I want to be able to play with my future children, I need to make sure this injury is healed without complications. Everyday holds opportunities for improvement.

Specific goals which I hold for myself on a weekly basis are to work out 5 days a week, three days of cardio and two days of weightlifting. To keep myself motivated I work out with at least one friend. We are able to motivate each other to get out of bed and to get to the Wellness and Recreation Center. Once we are there, we are able to cheer each other on and also discuss other topics which can be setting back our goals. My boyfriend is a huge help with weightlifting and making healthy lifestyle choices because those are some of his greatest passions. My support base is very important and will continue to be no matter what my goals or standards come to be.

I constantly record what I have accomplished. I track my max-weights for my lifts, my mile-times and also plank-times. I record whether or not I got all my daily nutrients. If I am lacking any specific nutrient, I am able to track if this is a problem on a daily basis. Sometimes, I take a vitamin if I am very much under what I need to be at. I do not stress myself out over weight or measurements, although both have gone down with this process anyways. I find that by focusing on improving fitness accomplishments, I am able to keep myself motivated. I choose not to focus on a specific weight, measurement, distance or accomplishment because I want to constantly improve. My goal is all about the journey not the destination.

My original goal started with a desire to reduce discrepancy between my ideal and present states. Currently, I am motivated to continue to reduce that discrepancy but I feel that I will soon be starting a transition to a preventative approach. There are multiple aspects of my goal so far which make me feel very accomplished as I progress, but there are other aspects which are harder to improve. Overall, since the goal is to continually beat my own personal records, I feel a high sense of satisfaction nearly every time I hit the gym or choose what to prepare for a meal.

What I found surprising in the chapter was to envision the process and not the overall goal. I found this to be extremely useful this week, to be honest. Instead of constantly seeing how things were and feeling so dejected and negative because they are not what I want them to be, I started to see them as only being slightly varying from the next stage which I wish to be at. With this in mind, it makes it much easier to make constant progressions. My attitude has become far more positive when I think of these mini-goals as opposed to the large goal of being "healthy". I think the largest factor in making my attitude more positive is that I actually ENJOY the process now, which keeps me motivated to wake up at 530am or to choose fruits and vegetables over desserts.

I have this goal for myself, and get no real extrinsic benefits. My friends and family may compliment me when I look more fit, but beating my own records is really what makes me happy. When I look at where I started to where I am at, I cannot help but smile. I feel so proud of my progress, even though it is not perfect. I can feel myself change and become closer to that person who I wish to be. Because the best part of goals is that you are not changing who you are, you are just changing your habits. And I want habits that will stay with me for life.

The biggest long term goal I have is to earn my PhD in psychology. While I am not entirely sure which field to pursue since psychology interests me as a whole, I am most interested in social psychology and psychology that focuses on perception. Throughout this chapter, I have learned the importance of making goals specific and making sure they are of an appropriate difficulty. For me, the lack of specificity shouldn't be a problem, if only because I am so driven to do well in the field that I would be happy with a PhD in *any* subfield of psychology. With a little more research in graduate programs, this problem will sort itself out organically. The level of difficulty is slightly more daunting, if only because the field is very competitive and it takes a lot of ambition to keep oneself motivated toward such a large goal. While I think I have what it takes, I've heard many stories from people who said the same thing. Though others are eager to discourage, the specificity is still moderately hazy, and the difficulty is high, I am making this a long term goal for myself.
There are smaller goals that can serve as stepping stones to reach a larger goal, making the process less disconcerting. I can, for example, focus on this semesters' classes, aiming to keep a 4.0 in Psychology and stay above a 3.75 cumulative GPA. I can also plan to take the GRE this summer, and sign up for a workshop to help me do my best. In the meantime, I will continue to work as a research assistant in a lab, a resident assistant in the residence halls, and a teacher's assistant to gain experience. I can help this process by telling others about my goals-- this way, they can hold me accountable. I can also visualize myself doing well on tasks where I lack confidence, namely, my performance on the GRE. These exercises are smaller and more specific, making them easier to grasp and put into practice.
Using the TOTE model to reduce and discrepancy between my actual state and my ideal state, I will ensure that I am on the path that someone working toward a PhD should be on.

My medium to long-term goal is to grow my hair out. I know it seems trite, silly and vain but it’s something I want desperately. I had long hair for quite some time and due to an atrocious haircut I have not for some time – somewhere around almost 2 years. I’ve been attempting to grow it out for the last year but with little success.
My plan is to cause as little damage as possible to my hair as it grows and to help facilitate its growth. No blow driers or flat/curling irons to touch my hair unless absolutely necessary for some special occasion. A micro trim of the ends every three to four months. A weekly hair mask to help strengthen and improve condition.
My main problems are the issues that arise while growing out hair. I get bored easily and boredom often leads to a loss in hair length in one way or another. So my main focus is implementation intentions. My first problem I run into is getting bored with my hairstyle. So my buffer for this problem is going to be bangs is the urge to cut my hair comes about. This changes the look without losing length. My second is going to be a struggle, hair color. I have had my hair every shade known to man… brown, black, red, blue, green, pink and more. This has lead to some serious damage in the past and is counter productive to hair growth. So with that in mind, hair coloring is limited to being done at least ten weeks apart from the last coloring. The coloring agent that is used will be only semi permanent color and needs to be henna.
With these specific time lines involved and the clear goal of long hair my only issue left is feedback. Taking a picture every first of the month to keep track of growth will solve this particular problem.
My medium to long-term goal is to grow my hair out. I know it seems trite, silly and vain but it’s something I want desperately. I had long hair for quite some time and due to an atrocious haircut I have not for some time – somewhere around almost 2 years. I’ve been attempting to grow it out for the last year but with little success.
My plan is to cause as little damage as possible to my hair as it grows and to help facilitate its growth. No blow driers or flat/curling irons to touch my hair unless absolutely necessary for some special occasion. A micro trim of the ends every three to four months. A weekly hair mask to help strengthen and improve condition.
My main problems are the issues that arise while growing out hair. I get bored easily and boredom often leads to a loss in hair length in one way or another. So my main focus is implementation intentions. My first problem I run into is getting bored with my hairstyle. So my buffer for this problem is going to be bangs is the urge to cut my hair comes about. This changes the look without losing length. My second is going to be a struggle, hair color. I have had my hair every shade known to man… brown, black, red, blue, green, pink and more. This has lead to some serious damage in the past and is counter productive to hair growth. So with that in mind, hair coloring is limited to being done at least ten weeks apart from the last coloring. The coloring agent that is used will be only semi permanent color and needs to be henna.
All of these guidelines should put me on track for long hair by the end of the one year period.

Terms: plan, goal, implementation intentions, and feedback

My long term goal is to develop a habit of reading the Bible daily as well as read the whole Bible. I wish to teach myself not to rush this time and really let it a time of relaxation and reflection. I began working on this goal (again) in January.
After reading chapter eight, I have a bit of a different picture of how I can make it easiest for me to develop this habit. I believe my new way of looking at this goal is both difficult and specific enough for attainment. It will be difficult for me because I have a very busy schedule and finding extra time in my day is not an easy task. I also know from past failures that I have a hard time getting through some specific books of the Bible when trying to read the whole thing.
I have started a reading plan through YouVersion on my phone. This plan, if I follow it, will let me read the entire Bible in one year. This app gives me specific passages to read each day, giving me direction and focus. I also have decided to set a time each day for reading. Initially, I had decided to read before my shower every day.
This worked for a while until classes picked up and my schedule became hectic again. There were days when I didn’t shower, or I was running late and didn’t really have time for it. Because of this, I have revised my plan and now read before I go to sleep if I didn’t before a shower. This implementation intention has allowed me to remember to read each day. I will continue to use time/action cues to help me to attain this goal. This will help me because I can become distracted easily by a busy schedule.

The goal that I have chosen is to work out. I want this to be a long term goal of mine. I want to make a workout schedule and actually do it on the days that I have set aside to work out as and to be consistent and actually stick with the routine. I work out but it’s not as much as I would like or as often as I would prefer.
Cognitive perspective on motivation states that we should have a plan and while setting this plan we should think about the present state that we are in and the ideal state that we are trying to accomplish. The present state is a person’s current state and how things are going and the ideal state is what they are hoping for in the future. My present state is that I’m not working out enough and have a picture of the body I want. So my motivation to get there is to put the picture up somewhere that it gets seen so I am more motivated to go to the gym more.
I also planned on creating a goal, the texts says goals generate motivation by focusing peoples attention on a specific task. I am trying to gain muscle mass in my legs, so every week I could increase the amount I am lifting, to ensure that I gain the amount of muscle in my legs that I am hoping for. In doing this I will also be motivated to go to the gym once I start to see results. I could also get a workout partner so I can have someone tell me what I could be lacking in my workout or what I could do for better results.
I actually plan to start this long term goal on Monday and I am excited to see if I stick to my plan and goals, I have tried keeping a schedule before and have always done a terrible job, I am in hopes that I stick to my goal and stay motivated to get fit.

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.

My long term goal is to become healthier and get back into exercising. I used to be really good at making the time to work out and at one point I was doing really well in training for a marathon. Unfortunately, things happened and I began working out less and less. I have this goal because I want to get back into shape and feel good about myself and relieve stress. Running has always been a stress reliever for me and it gives me the chance to clear my mind and run off any stress I may have. I would like to begin training for a marathon again.
To complete this goal, I need to make sure my goal is difficult in order to obtain the maximum effect of achieve this goal and then I need to develop a plan.

In order to complete this goal, I need to first decide a specific time each day that will be a time designated just for working out/running. I plan to workout/run 4-5 days a week. I will also need to plan where I work out, where I run and how far to run each day. To keep my motivation high, I plan on getting my husband to workout with me because he wants to get back into shape as well. I need to watch what I eat and plan meals accordingly, not only I will eat healthy, but my family will eat healthy as well.

This is the most important goal I have on my to do list. I know that it is going to require lot of work and dedication to achieve it. My long-term goal is to obtain a doctorate degree in psychology, I have decided not on a specific field yet. I either want to pursue a career as a professor or a child psychiatrist. When I was a teenager in high school I never thought that college was an option for me. I did not have the best behavior or the best attitude, but my grades were above average. My counselor did not take the time to encourage me to pursuit a higher education, so after high school I moved to Chicago and lived with my brother for a year. I got a decent job working at a metal recycling company. After about six months I got laid off from the company. After I got laid off, I started partying every day and made a lot of bad decision. A few months later I realized that I was not happy with the direction my life was going. So I end up having to make a very difficult decision, which was to leave Chicago and moving back to Texas.

One day I was playing basketball with my cousin Andrew, he asked me why I came back to Texas. I explained my situation to Andrew and told him that I was interested in going to college because I felt that it was the best way to get my life back on track. Andrew sat me down and let me that he was proud of me and assure me that going to college was easier than you think. Then Andrew told me some information about Palo Alto College and informed me that he was attending Palo Alto as well. That’s basically how I come to make the smartest decision in my life. After I made the decision to start college opportunity started to knock on my door. After two years of attending college my hard work started to pay off. I found out about The Bridge Scholarship, the Bridge Scholarship program has been offer at the Alamo Colleges District for about 14 years and it was what gave me the privilege to me to continue my studies. UNI helped me realize that in order to reach my full potential as a person I had to obtain a Ph.D. and I will do everything in my being to achieve this goal.

Goal Difficulty plays a huge role in achieving my goal. Goal difficulty refers to how hard a goal is to accomplish. The more difficult the goal, the more it energizes the performer. This is so because people exert effort in proportion to what the goal requires of them. This is related because getting my doctorate degree is probably going to be the most difficult thing I have ever attempted in my life. Also goal specificity is going to play a role in helping me achieve my goal. Goal specificity refers to how clearly a goal informs the performer precisely what he is to do. Translating a vague goal into a specific goal typically involves restating the goal in numerical terms. Goal specificity is important because specific goals draw attention to what one needs to do and reduces ambiguity in thought and variability in performance. So what I am going to do to prevent ambiguity is, I am going to make deadline for the things that I have to get done. For instance, I have to take the GRE in order to get into graduate school. I have been preparing for the GRE since the beginning of the spring semester. There are three sections to the GRE test, which are verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing. I have been setting up appointments at the Academic Learning Center every week for each section. I really want to perform well when I take the GRE so I can get into any school in the states or maybe even out of the country. I plan to take the GRE in the summer or in the fall semester of 2013, depending if I get accepted into the McNair Scholar Program.

The book suggests that to attain this goal, several conditions must be met and these conditions are the essence of an effective goal-setting program. Part one is the sequential steps with the goal-setting process, which are the first four steps. The first step in a goal-setting program begins with the question, “what do I want to accomplish?” I have to specify the objective to be accomplished. The second step is to ensure that the goal is a relatively difficult one. The third step is to clarify goal specificity and the last step to part one of an effective goal-setting program is to specify the time span when performance will be assessed. The second part to an effective goal-setting program is the sequential steps within the goal-striving process, which are the last four steps. The person has to check on goal acceptance, then discuss goal-attainment strategies, then create implementation intentions; lastly the person has to provide performance feedback. I believe this can help a person achieve his or her goals, but in my opinion all you need is the right motivation, you need to put in the time, effort, and work that it require depending on the difficulty of the goal. Then you cannot give up, keep a positive attitude and make yourself believe you can do it.

My goal is to receive my Masters in School Counseling. I am at the point in my goal where it is really really hard to be specific about some of the things I want to achieve though. In order to attain this goal in the past I was able to set specific goals and deadlines. For example, getting good grades the last few terms to make sure my GPA was high enough, completing the applications and applying to the schools that I was most interested in.

Right now, I really only have one step that I am focused on in the process, and that is preparing myself for the interviews I have been offered. I really don't want to create too many other short term goals to reach my long term goal until I know which schools accept me, and where I will actually be, because the programs are so different. I want to be sure that my goals are specific and realistic, and knowing the requirements of the program that I enter will offer me some guidelines in setting my goal.

This has essentially been my long term goal since 9th grade, and I have always had smaller, short term goals or specific conditions that I had to meet that I have placed on myself in order to reach it. It is way interesting to look back and see the stages I have gone through, and the achievements I have made so far.

I have a long-term goal to accomplish getting an opportunity to either have an interview or internship with a Medical Device Sales company by the time I graduate in the Spring of 2014. I have an interest in Medical Device Sales because my mom has been in the Pharmaceutical industry for over twenty years. I struggled for a while on finding any sort of career that captured my interest, however, I contacted a friend of my mom’s and was able to go on a job shadow for medical device sales. It inspired me and has motivated me to pursue a career in this industry.

In order to attempt to achieve this goal, I need to form a plan that will get me experience in the career, provide me contacts of people within the business, and an opportunity to get my name out and hopefully noticed. A large chunk of my plan includes educating myself about what medical device sales includes, the different companies and what specific devices they sell, and what medical terms I need to know to excel in this career. I have a book that I can read and quizzes online that I can take that will provide me certificates that I can add to my resume to explain that I am knowledgeable with basic medical terms and procedures. I plan on finishing this by the end of summer 2013. I also have been online and have looked through MedRep.com to see what companies are looking for in employees. Regarding my plan to associate with people within the medical device sales industry, I will start reaching out to local representatives of the industry and ask if I can join them for a day as a job shadow opportunity.

The discrepancy between my present state and ideal state is large considering I have very little experience in Medical Device Sales. I plan to take the steps I have laid out and explained in order to move closer to my ideal state of my goal.