Lesson 9
Attainment of Goals in Life
Importance of Goal
Goals give a person something to pursue. It is easier to achieve something and be successful when goals are set than if there were no goals set at all. Having a goal keeps a person motivated to work on something significant.
Goals motivate a person to perform better. People who know the goals of the task know how much effort they need to finish the task. The presence of goals can motivate them to do the best they can to achieve their goals.
Goals improve and develop qualities like determination and discipline. A person with a goal keeps on track toward it and will not veer away from it until the goal is achieved. If the goal is really important, that person will not lose patience easily nor be distracted by less important things.
Goals help a person develop important skills. Skills like planning and thinking of strategies are important for personal and even professional success. These skills are developed in a person who sets goals. Skills like critical thinking and decision-making are also developed in the person while he or she is determining the best steps to take in order to attain goal.
Steps in Goal-Setting
Specify the goal. Goals that are specific should be reasonable and can be attained within your own terms and means. A careful analysis of your potentials and limitations will help you know which goals are reasonable for you and which are not.
Develop a plan. Planning means thinking out the moves you will make. It also includes predicting possible results and having alternative plans if one plan fails. The plan you will develop should be outlined in manageable, step-by-step procedure.
Consider possible obstacles. Not all plans go without a problem. Think of the possible problems that might get in your way while trying to attain your goal. A good plan foresees possible problems and lists how you intend to deal with them. Failure can help you see better ways of reaching your goal.
Set a deadline. Deadline give you an idea how much time you have to accomplish your goals. Without a deadline, it might take you forever to achieve the goals. The deadlines you would have to set should be realistic.
Act on the plan. Plans are only as good as the action that goes with them. This means that you need to do what you have planned to do. At this point of goal-setting, it is best to be with people who have the same goals and plans as yours. These people can encourage and push you to continue.
Evaluate the plan. You need to evaluate the steps you have identified to find out if you are still on track. See if these steps have taken you closer to your goals. When you evaluate your plan, you would know how close you are to your goals and how much you still need to work on.
LIFE
Goal-setting can be applied to any part of your life as an adolescent. But remember that your success is ultimately up to you. Nothing will work, not even the best plans, unless you willingly commit yourself to the goal. Your road to success is your own journey. Only you can finish your own journey for yourself.
Exercise
Rewrite the first goal and the steps you have identified in the activity to make them realistic and specific.
Then identify the possible obstacles to your attainment of your goal.
Briefly explain these obstacles and outline your plan of dealing with each one of these obstacles.
Reflection
Answer the following questions in a paragraph form as your reflection.
If you would like to accomplish something, what would you do to accomplish it?
