Setting Goals

You can think of this framework as setting "smart" goals and ask yourself if your goal fits these five categories to set yourself up for success.

As you start to think of a few ways in which you would like to better yourself, you can follow the steps below for effective goal setting:

1. Write down your goals, both short term and long term.  When you write down your goals, they become much more concrete, and it will be easier to hold yourself accountable for achieving them.
2. List the steps you will take in order to achieve each goal.  When you break a goal down into smaller steps, it helps you determine exactly what you need to do in order to reach your goal and stick to it.
3. Check to see if each goal is a "smart" goal.  By using the guidelines above you will have a plan for reaching each goal.
4. Revisit your goals daily.  Determine whether you have made progress.  Write down any progress that you have made as well as what you can do to improve your progress.  Reflecting on your goals regularly helps you stick with them, and it also gives you the chance to make adjustments to your goals as needed.
5. Remember that setbacks happen.  It's okay.  We will all experience setbacks at one time or another when working towards our goals.  A setback doesn't mean you need to abandon your goal—it's an opportunity to learn how to keep moving forward.  Being able to persevere and move forward after a setback is in itself a success. 

Goal Setting Worksheet