GOAL SETTING

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” Confucius
 Why Are Goals Important?
If you have a desire to do or be something in your life, setting goals to get there is imperative. How do you do this!
Successful people begin by writing down their desired goals then setting their priorities to accomplish those goals.
Productive people are able to manage their time according to their priorities. If your priorities are not lined up with
your goals, then it will be very difficult to achieve your final objective.

Goal-setting…

● Focuses your sights on something you want to attain

● Deals with the why, when and how of our lives
● Turns your daydreams and fantasies into reality
● Lets you prioritize the detailed steps needed to reach your dreams
● Helps break down overwhelming larger tasks into smaller manageable tasks
● Facilitates better time management
● Leads to a sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment
 Goals for Your Lifetime
The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime, as setting lifetime goals gives you the
overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making. To give a broad, balanced coverage to all important areas
in your life, try to set goals in some or all of the following:

• Artistic: Do you want to learn an instrument? Participate in a play? See the Mona Lisa? How can you make that happen?
• Attitude: Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Are there any particular behaviors or habits that are upsetting to you
and would like to change? Do you need any outside support to assist you in these changes?
• Career: What level do you want to reach in your career? How much education will you need?
• Education: Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve
your goals?
• Family: Do you want to be a parent? Will you wait to have children until you have a good job? Where do you envision your
family living? If you already have kids, is there something specific you would like to do for/with them?
• Financial: What income do you want to earn by what stage of your life? Do you want to understand investments, retirement
and 401ks? How can you learn that?
• Physical: Are there any athletic goals you want to achieve? How do you want to maintain good health into old age? What
steps are you going to take to achieve this?
• Pleasure: Would you like to take up a hobby or register for a class? Maybe travel? Are you ensuring that some of your life is
for you?
• Public Service: Do you want to make the world a better place? Are you interested in volunteer work, community service,
maybe environmental or animal welfare organizations? How do you want to give back to the world?
 S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

• Specific: Well defined, clear and precise

• Measurable: Specific benchmarks that measure progress towards completion
• Achievable: Attainable, reasonable and viable
• Realistic: Relevant to your interests, significant to you, authentic
• Timely: Stated timeline, has a starting and ending date.
 S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
SMART Goal – Specific
Goals that are specific have a significantly greater chance of being accomplished. To make a goal specific, the five “W” questions
need to be considered:
• Who: Who is involved in this goal?
• What: What do I want to accomplish?
• Where: Where is this goal going to be achieved?
• When: When do I want to achieve this goal?
• Why: Why do I want to achieve this goal?
• How: How do I take steps to achieve this goal?
For example, a general goal is “I want to graduate from a four-year university.” A more specific goal is “I want to graduate from CSU
Fullerton in Art.

SMART Goal – Measurable

A SMART goal must have criteria for measuring your progress. If there are no criteria, you will not be able to determine your
progress to see if you are on track to reach your goal. To make a goal measurable, ask yourself:
• How many/much?
• How do I know if I have reached my goal?
• How do I gage my progress?
For example, building in a measurable component to the specific goal above: “I want to graduate from CSU Fullerton with a degree
in Graphic Arts by the year 2024”.
 S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
SMART Goal – Achievable
A SMART goal must be achievable and attainable. The achievability of the goal should make you feel challenged, but defined
well enough that you can actually complete it. Ask yourself:
• Do I have the resources and capabilities to achieve the goal? If not, what am I missing?
• Have others successfully completed this goal before?

SMART Goal – Realistic

A SMART goal must be realistic in that given the available resources and time frame; you can complete the goal. A SMART
goal is likely realistic if you believe that it can be accomplished. Ask yourself:
• Is my goal realistic and attainable?
• Is my goal reachable given the time and resources?
• Can I commit myself to achieving the goal?

SMART Goal – Timely

A SMART goal must be time-bound within a time frame. If the goal does not have a target date, there will be no sense of
urgency and motivation to achieve the goal. Ask yourself:
• Does my goal have a deadline?
• By when do I want to achieve my goal?
For example, building on the goal above: I will complete my general education and pre requisites for my Graphic Arts degree
at Citrus College by Spring 2022, transfer to CSUF in Fall 2022 and graduate with a BA in Graphic Arts in 2024.
 Aids to Successful Goal Setting
1. Brainstorm - List everything you would like to accomplish. Be bold! Challenge yourself.
2. Prioritize - Look at your list: decide which goal you would like to work with first. Keep your list of
goals so that you can check on your progress.
3. Describe in Detail - Be very specific: break your goals into objectives, a step-by-step plan so you
can check on your progress.
4. Identify Your Barriers - Look for internal and external blocks to reaching your goals.
5. Develop a Game Plan - Decide ways to overcome the barriers to your goals.
6. Develop a Timeline - Look at your goals and work out a realistic timeline.
7. Reward Yourself - Reward yourself for each step you accomplish towards your goals.
 The Goals Worksheet

This worksheet is designed to help you set goals – “an ideal future” – and plan activities and strategies for meeting those
goals. As you do this exercise, it is important to consider that your goals are not “set in stone”; they may change and that
is expected. Life throws curve balls and we have to adapt. The important thing is that you begin the planning process
and dream a little. Let’s get started!

Long Term Goals Short Term Goals

• Three years to 5 - 10 years • Three months to three years

• A vision for your future • Breaks the long-term goal into smaller parts
• Requires time and planning • Parts have manageable activities
• Might be updated and readjusted • Activities are action oriented
• Could be very general to very specific • Activities have measurable steps and outcomes
 Examples of Long-Term Goals
Use your Goals for a lifetime: artistic, attitude, career, education, family, financial, physical, pleasure and public service.

CAREER: Where do you hope to be in your career development at the time of your graduation?
Examples:
• I will be starting my career in advertising with an entry-level copywriting position in a large advertising firm
• I will be continuing my education in a Ph.D. program in Biochemistry to eventually become a university professor
• I will be working as a pediatric nurse in an urban hospital somewhere in California
EDUCATION: What educational goals do you hope to accomplish with your Bachelor’s Degree?
Examples:
• I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from CSULA by 2024 in Communications - Journalism – Advertising
• I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA by 2025 in Psychology
• I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from CSULB by 2024
ATTITUDE: What do I want to change within myself to feel more confident in college?
Examples:
• I will join a college club to feel more comfortable making friends
• I will take a singing class so that I can be in a Citrus College singing production
• I will look into campus employment so I can work around my classes
 Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals are those specific activities and strategies that move us toward our long-term goals or
“ideal future.” The following are examples of measureable short-term goals.

EDUCATION: What short term goals do I need to do to achieve my goal to graduation?

• Take COUN145 – Career Life Planning to research my interests

• Meet with a counselor to learn what CSU classes I need to transfer
• Attend Club Rush and join a club
• Find out what musicals are being planned in the theater this year
• Meet with a Cal Poly Pomona representative to talk about my major
 GETTING STARTED
One convenient way of creating your list of goals is to brainstorm ideas in each of the following categories:

● What you want to BE

● What you want to LEARN
● What you want to DO
● What you want to HAVE
● What you want to GIVE

On a separate piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and across the middle, making 4 squares. Pick four of the following
categories to brainstorm: artistic, attitude, career, education, family, financial, physical, pleasure and public service. List
your ideas below each category.

example:
education career
physical attitude
 Long-term and Short-term Goals. Are you getting there?
Take four ideas from your brainstorming lists and write out four long term goals, followed by short term goals.

For a fillable pdf click here: https://bit.ly/3dhMr9b

1. Long-term Goal:_______________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

What are you doing now to achieve this goal?

________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Long-term Goal:_______________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

What are you doing now to achieve this goal?
________________________________________________________________________________________
 Long-term Goals and Short-term Goals Are you getting there?

3. Long-term Goal:_______________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

4. Long-term Goal:_______________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

Short-term Goal: __________________________________________________________________________

What are you doing now to achieve this goal?

________________________________________________________________________________________
 Long-term Goals and Short-term Goals Are you getting there?

What are you doing now to achieve this goal?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

What have you done in the last two weeks towards attaining your goals?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

What actions can you take in the next two weeks towards attaining your goals?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
REVIEW YOUR GOALS

1. Is the goal achievable?

Can I accomplish my goal in the time span I have set?
Does achieving this goal depend only on me and not on conditions outside of me?
2. Do I believe I can achieve this goal?
Are my skills and abilities equal to this goal?
3. Will I know when I have reached my goal?
Have I set my goal in specific terms?
4. Do I want to do what it takes to reach my goal?
Is the goal one that interests me?
5. Is the goal presented with an alternative?
Have I made a firm decision?
Am I focused on what I need to be doing?
Do I have an alternative if I cannot reach my goal?
6. Am I motivated to pursue my goal?
Do I have a support system?
Have I set up a timeline towards my goal?
Do I have a reward system in place?
7. Is the goal of value to me?
Is the goal compatible with my values?
Does my goal have longevity? Do I need to consider more education?
 EVEN THE EXPERTS MAKE MISTAKES!
Made a mistake? Experienced a failure? Fallen short of your goals? Feeling discouraged? Feeling like quitting?
You're in good company. Consider the following blunders:

"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." --Drillers whom Edwin L. Drake tried to
enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859

"Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." --Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon. "
--Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is
inherently of no value to us." --Western Union internal memo, 1876

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." --Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" --H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers Films, 1927
 EVEN THE EXPERTS MAKE MISTAKES!

"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value." --Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole
Superieure de Guerre

"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
--David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings to invest in the radio in the 1920s

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper." --Gary Cooper on his decision not to
take the leading role in "Gone with the Wind"

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." --Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." --Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of
Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
 EVEN THE EXPERTS MAKE MISTAKES!
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
--A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery
service (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think
about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary; we'll come work for you.' And they said,
'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'" --
Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and HP interested in his and Steve Wozniak's
personal computer

"You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact
of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training."
-Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable" problem by inventing Nautilus

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." --Bill Gates, 1981