Goals

 

Today in class we talked about setting goals.

A lot of the info was stuff I had heard before, but for some reason it sunk in a little deeper today.

I would like to think of myself as a free spirit, but I know that’s not entirely true. I like my lists, my plans and looking forward to the future. I like to know what is going on next week and next month. I like to plan events or activities and work on what I need to get done before hand.

But when I think what are my goals? I come up a little lost. I think I know what I want to do when I graduate, but am I sure? Today reminded me that I need to really be thinking on what I want to do after school, and I need to start figuring out what my goals are.

Here are some of the things we talked about in class.

When you are setting your goals, how you see yourself can have a negative or positive affect on your goals. If you don’t think very highly of yourself, your probably not going to set goals that will really help you exceed. If you think to highly of yourself, you might set a goal that will never become a reality.

Write down in “I Will” sentences. Such as, by May of 2012 I will graduate Culinary School.

Set a specific date. If you just say, I will run a marathon, then there is no time frame for you to achieve that goal. You need a date to work towards.

Identify everything you need to achieve your goal. Ok so you want to open a restaurant. What are the things you need to do before hand? Maybe some management class? Maybe some research.

Identify obstacles to overcome. What are things that might get in your way of reaching your goal. Have a plan to work around those obstacles or at least know how to deal with them when they arrive.

Identify people/groups that can help you reach your goal. If you want to run a marathon, maybe you should join a running group. Or find a personal trainer or even a friend to hold you reliable to your training schedule.

Create a detailed plan of action. You can’t just say your going to do something and not have a plan. Write out what needs to be done and when you want to have done things by.

And remember what is in this for you. Personal growth? Experience? It’s your passion? Try to always keep in mind what reaching that goal will do for you.