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Goal
setting equips you to lead a life full of meaning, purpose
and direction. You're never too young to start setting
goals for yourself! The information on this page has been
written in an effort to make it useful to all children
between ages 6 and 18.
In order for something to be
a
goal it has to be...
Personally important to you.
Within your means and abilities.
Something you have a reasonable chance of
achieving.
Clearly defined and have a specific plan of
action.
Some areas to consider
when setting goals are:
Career - school grades;
skill development; future plan.
Health - exercise; diet; over-all well-being; balance.
Community - commitment to serving others (volunteer work).
Financial - understanding the value of money; earning;
saving.
Friends - Having a circle of friends; choosing friends
wisely.
Household - chores; contribution to building home life.
Recreation - hobbies; relaxation; fun (movies, parties,
etc.)
Personal - character development; personal growth
(self-image,
sense of responsibility, self-esteem); appearance.
 When aiming for a goal it's important to focus on
performance, not perfection! It's when you're reaching for
goals that you begin to see the possibilities that exist for
your life. You learn about your strengths and non-strengths,
and about what you can accomplish in life.
Here are things to consider
before setting goals:
Think about yourself:
What sort of person are you?
What do you look like?
What impression do you give others?
How do you feel about yourself?
Make a list of positive things you can think of,
such as:
I'm a neat writer
I'm a happy person
I'm kind to others
I care about animals
Now think about the things you can do, such as:
I can run well
I can cook
I can sew or knit
I can sing or play an instrument
Finally, think about your appearance.
I'm in good shape
I eat healthy
I take care of my teeth, hair, nails, etc.
I dress neat and appropriate
So, now you have a list of all
the personal "assets" (or positive stuff) that make up your
wonderful, unique self. Think about what you can do with
those assets, and sort through your dreams to see which
could come true one day if you work towards them. Be
realistic. If you cannot sing a note, it is unlikely that
you would become a popular singer!
 Now it's time to set some goals to help you get to your
dreams. You need to write some goals down, sort out which
are the most important goals, and then decide what are the
steps to take to help you get there. These "steps" should be
little steps, not gigantic leaps! If you were to have a goal
of running across the United States, you wouldn't begin the
steps by writing, "Tomorrow I will run across my home
state". That would be too big of a step! You would want to
begin by doing some easy jogging... working up to some local
fun runs... and slowly developing your running abilities
over many months and years. Then, after many years of
building your endurance abilities consistently and acquiring
experience in health and fitness, you would set up a
training schedule to specifically prepare for a run across
the United States.
You're going to want to decide what is your most important
goal. Then, write down all of the good things about reaching
that goal. If you run into a problem, sit down and think
about how you're going to work around it, or over it or
through it. Don't give up. Keep trying! Also, it's always
smart to tell friends, family members or teachers about your
goals. They'll likely encourage you!
If you meet a problem on the way to your goal, look back at
your steps and add in as many steps as needed to keep you
going. It doesn't matter if they're small steps. You might
decide that putting a copy of the multiplication (times)
table all around the house will help you learn it faster.
You might ask your Mom or Dad, or your friends, to test the
table with you in the car, on the bus, or when you're at the
playground. Many times when a person has success in reaching
a goal it's due to the help of others.
Important things to remember as you
work at your goal:
 Be realistic. Set small goals to start with. You can move to
bigger stuff when you get better at setting and reaching
goals.
Keep feeling positive. Don't let
other people bring you down.
Check your steps every day and read your goal again.
Believe you can do it. Doubt will keep you
from your goal.
Keep adding more small steps if it doesn't look like you're
making much progress.
Tell someone you trust about what you're doing.
Talking
about it will: (1) keep you feeling good; (2) help you work
out your steps; (3) help you learn how to reach your goal;
and, (4) encourage you.
Don't stress. Learn to relax so that you have the energy to
work through the steps.
Have fun and enjoy the adventure toward your goal!
Never forget that the ultimate goal
is doing your best.
Use the following questions below to think more about goals
and what you might want to aim for. You should write your
answers down so that you can keep your words to look back on
later. Here are the questions: If you could become anything you wanted, or
accomplish anything you wanted in life, what
 would it be?
What can you do to make that happen? Are you doing it? (If
not, why not?)
Think of three things you'd like to accomplish in the next
several months. These must be things that are truly
important to you and within your ability to accomplish. For
each one, describe in detail what you will need to do in
order to succeed and lay out a plan for doing it (including
deadlines). Now that you have set three goals, try carrying
out your plans.
Write about a time when you succeeded at something because
you made it a goal and were committed to it.
Describe what happened.
How did that make you feel?
What did you learn from that experience?
Sometimes, despite our best
plans and efforts, we fail anyway. Write about a time when
you tried to accomplish something but came up short.
Describe what happened.
How did you deal with it?
What did you learn from it?
Did anything positive come out of it?
Have A Positive Attitude!
Think Possible... Not Impossible!
When Thomas Edison invented the
light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it
to work. A reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many
times. Mr. Edison replied, "I never failed once. I invented
the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step
process."
 When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876,
it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential
backers. After making a demonstration call, President
Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention, but
who would ever want to use one of them?"
 Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born
prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4
years old, she got double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which
left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed
the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to
walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk,
which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided
to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For
the next few years every race she entered, she came in last.
Everyone told her to quit, but she kept running. One day she
actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won
every race she entered. Eventually this girl, who was
told she would never walk again, went on to win 3 gold
medals in track and field at the 1960 Olympic Games.
The Moral of the Above Stories:
KEEP TRYING! Sometimes in life we're surrounded by people
telling us that something cannot be done. It is in those
moments that we have an opportunity to show them, and
ourselves, what is indeed possible. Remember, the finest
steel is made only after it is sent through the hottest
furnace.
A winner is not one who never fails, but one who never
quits!
What's Possible For Getting Fit And Being Healthier?
 It's extremely easy to gain weight and to get out of shape.
However, losing weight and getting back into shape is not so
easy. You have to work hard at it, and persevere through
struggles. People who have been out of shape and worked hard
to regain a healthy fitness level are people who decided
that they truly wanted to improve their health and
fitness... and they stuck with it for as long as it took.
Determination is the only thing that will keep you on track
to getting into better shape. In order to ensure that your
determination does not flounder, you'll need to have the
help of all those who are around you – your family, your
friends, your teachers; in other words, everyone. You should
have a healthy diet drawn up by a nutritionist and an
exercise routine put together that meets your abilities and
goals. It's important to keep in mind that no one should
attempt to lose weight or exercise for better fitness
without consulting a specialist and informing your
physician. It can be dangerous and sometimes even fatal.
 Once you have the details of your fitness and health program
all you have to do is to stick to the routine with total
commitment and determination. Be prepared for slow results
in the beginning and an initial feeling of disappointment;
but once the routine sets in it will become easier to follow
and maintain. When it comes to what's possible in getting
fit and becoming healthier, the answer lies within you. If
your heart is set on it, and you're determined and
committed, anything is possible with the proper approach,
support and goals!
Look
out on the horizon of the life in front of you. What do you
see? What do you hope for? What do you want to achieve? As
you reach for your dreams beyond the horizon, keep the
following equations in mind:
Fear + Doubt
= Limitations
Courage + Confidence
= Endless Possibilities
Which equation do you tend to choose when faced with
challenges? Only you can choose which equation you'll live
your life in. Ultimately, you will become what you
concentrate your attention and efforts on.
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