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Setting Goals

Setting goals is a matter of acting on your dreams—reaching for them. Short-term goals help you work toward long-term goals, and they give you confidence to achieve your dreams. (For more on goal setting, see pages 356–357.)

Short-Term Goals

  • Daily: Every morning, you have the opportunity to set a goal for the day. It can be as matter-of-fact as getting through the day, or as challenging as applying for a job. Setting daily goals keeps you moving forward.
  • Weekly: At the beginning of the week, consider the challenges ahead. Set a goal to meet each challenge. Think of what you must do to deal with the challenges, and then go about facing them head-on.
  • Yearly: At the beginning of each school year, think about what you want to accomplish. Imagine yourself excelling in each class and taking on new activities. Then set your goals and move forward.
 

Long-Term Goals

  • High school: Take charge of your high school education. Decide what grade-point average you want, and work at it. Take the courses that prepare the way for your goals after high school, whether you’ll enter the workforce immediately, go to a trade school, attend college, or pursue a specific profession. Tell your high school counselor about your goals, and then listen to his or her advice.
  • Job: Many students go directly from high school into the workplace. Even those who continue their educations often have jobs to pay expenses. What job would you like? What qualifications do you need?
  • Higher education: What are your higher-education goals? What degree do you need to meet your career goal? Where do you want to go to school?
  • Relationships: What relationship goals do you have? Do you plan to remain single? To date? To marry? To have a family? How do friends fit into your life?
  • Career: What do you want to accomplish? How do you see yourself serving a company or society in general? What profession do you envision for yourself? What pay do you need?
  • Lifestyle: Where do you want to live? How much money do you hope to have? What groups do you want to join? How would you characterize a happy life?
 

Your Turn Write two or three sentences for each category above, explaining your long-term goals.

 
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