Goal Setting for All Ages?
I was going over my son’s homework with him and I found a wonderful surprise that I thought I might share with you all. This quotation that I painstakingly typed below was a hand out in my son’s second grade class on goal setting. I reproduced it as a reminder that Goal Setting is a simple fun and powerful tool for people of all ages.
Sometime I know I feel overwhelmed by my gadgets and methodologies. I find for me that the best way to set goals is the old fashion way. Sit down with a piece of paper in hand and write out your goals. I do mine annually with a quarterly review to see how far along I am for the year. You can read all of the how too books in the world but if you don’t do the simple things like put you goals down in a concrete for that you can come back and measure later, you might find yourself with a lack of direction in life. Please read this large quotation below with an open mind as it is written for second grade audience. For fellow parents out there, print it out and do a goal setting exercise with your kids its fun.
PS. Thank You Miss Taylor for teaching life skills in your classroom.
Goal Setting
What is a Goal?
You set a goal whenever you say “I want to….. Your goal might be you want a pet dog.
Why are Goals Important?
When you have a Goal, it makes you feel full of energy. Having a Goal makes you feel good about yourself and about everybody else. It makes life much more Fun!!!
When is a Goal a Good Goal?
Its always good to have a Goal. But there are ways to make Goal Setting even more fun!! Here is a list of four things that make a good Goal:
1) A good Goal says Exactly what you want.
For instance, you might say “I want a pet.” That’s not a very exact Goal, is it? If you said, ” I want a pet Dog,” that would be a good Goal. But suppose you said ” I want a dog, that will be a little bit smaller than me, it will be brown and black, it will have big pointy ears, and a nice long tail,” then that would be an EXCELLENT Goal, because you are saying EXACTLY what you want.
2) A good Goal says When you want it.
If your goal I ” I want to get good grades at school, ” to make it a good Goal, you would say something like: ” I want to get grades that are one grade higher that the ones I got in my last report card. And I want to get these grades by the time I get my next report card.” That way, you’re saying Exactly what you want, AND you’re saying Exactly When you want it!
3) A good Goal is when you believe it.
If you said, ” I want to learn to fly like a bird,” that’s not a good Goal, because you can’t believe it, because you know you haven’t got wings! But if you say, I want to learn to hang-glide next summer, ” then that’s a good Goal, because you know that it is possible, so you can believe in it!
4) A good Goal says HOW you’re going to get it.
To have a good Goal, you need to make a PLAN. This is great fun! The plan will be different for every Goal, because every Goal is special. You will need a big piece of paper. This is how to do your plan
Plans for Goal Setting
a) Write out your Goal at the top of the page. When you write it, pretend you are already in the process of getting it now! For instance, you might write, “I’m going to get a pet dog,” or “I play football better and better.” There is a part of your brain called the “Lower” brain, and this part thinks about your goal all the time, even when you’re thinking about something else. This Part of the brain doesn’t understand about “now and “later.” So you must write your goals as if you’re starting to achieve it already, so the lower brain can understand it.
b) Under your Goal, write WHY you want it. Try to think of as many reasons as you can! If you write, ” I want to get better grades in school to please Mom and Dad, and so that school will be more fun, and so that I can help other children with their lessons, and so that later on, I’ll be able to choose from many different subjects at school, and so that , when I grow up, I’ll be able to do whichever job I most want to! If you wrote that many reasons, then your Goal would be so special, nothing will stop you from getting it!
c) Next, write When you want your Goal. This could be a week or 2 weeks or even a year!
d) Now, you need to write down exactly what you will need to do to get your Goal. To do this, work backwards. Take your Goal and say, What is the step Before this?’ For instance if you want to get better grades at school, the step BEFORE that might be to do your homework as soon as you get home each night.
It’s often a good Idea to ask Mom and Dad for help with making your plan. They might have had similar goals in the past and can suggest steps to help you complete your plan.
What if I don’t get my Goal first time?
It doesn’t matter! Mr. Edison, the man who invented light bulbs tried thousands of ways to make light bulbs before he found a way that worked.
And each time he tried something and it didn’t work, Mr. Edison said “I’ve learned another way not to make a light bulb!- and he was happy, because he had learned something. Then he tried a New way, until he got his goal of making a light bulb.