Goal Setting

​Goal Setting allows you to devise a roadmap to your future success. It can help minimize stress and anxiety, provide clarity for future plans, and motivate.

There are 10 areas recommended for review:
  • Housing (moving into an apartment, buying a home, repairs to home, etc.)
  • Financial (investing, saving money, etc.)
  • Career/Job (internship, etc.)
  • Legal (preparation for court hearings and traffic tickets, DUI, parole/probation, etc.)
  • Education (certifications, training, vocational training, degree programs, etc.)
  • Religion/Spirituality –if applicable
  • Physical Health (losing weight, exercising more, eating healthier, etc.)
  • Mental Health (schedule appointment with therapist/counselor, take medication as prescribed, meditate, etc.)
  • Hobbies/Interests (if you do not have a hobby, what are you planning to try, etc.)
  • Relationships [Family and Friends] (how to strengthen a relationship, how to dissolve a negative relationship, etc.)
*Please keep in mind that all of these areas may not be pertaining to you. You can have more than one goal in and any of the above areas.*

Guidelines for Developing Goals:
  • You can have more than one goal in any of the areas;
  • Understand your strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and barriers so that you know what and who to place in your plan;
  • If needed, identify support that can help you accomplish your goal;
  • Goal(s) can be 7-10 years out;
  • The goal(s) needs to be realistic (e.g, Avoid writing a goal, such as being an entertainer, if you have not developed the necessary abilities needed to accomplish said goal);
  • Build in for life’s happenstance(s)

Guidelines for Objectives:
  • Objectives are steps to reach goal(s);
  • Objectives should be updated yearly; and
  • Objectives should be reviewed monthly to determine how close you are to achieving your goal(s) and to determine whether revisions should be made

Example of Educational Goal

Synopsis: I am a 16 year-old (junior in high school), who would like to obtain a 4 year degree. I have taken my SAT, an aptitude test, and the ASVAB. All scores have been received. What is my next step?
Goal: To obtain a 4 year degree by Spring, 2022. (Note: Technically, the student should be able to graduate from a 4 year program by 2020, but we want to build in for life. The student may decide to take a semester off due to stress, may have to sit out a year for financial reasons. Always add extra time to your goals, not too much extra time; because it may cause you to procrastinate).
  • Objective 1: Meet with advisor by October 1, 2014 to discuss scores, what the scores indicate, and my interests
  • Objective 2: Research (accreditation of both school and program, majors offered, monies available, visit campus, etc.) at least 7 universities by Dec. 1, 2014
  • Objective 3: Choose the 5 universities you will be applying to by December 5, 2014
  • Objective 4: Mail completed application (completed school application, recommendation letters completed, essays completed, and money orders purchased) for University A by January 15, 2015
  • Objective 5: Mail completed application (completed school application, recommendation letters completed, essays completed, and money orders purchased) for University B by February 15, 2015
  • Objective 6: Mail completed application (completed school application, recommendation letters completed, essays completed, and money orders purchased) for University C by March 15, 2015
  • Objective 7: Mail completed application (completed school application, recommendation letters completed, essays completed, and money orders purchased) for University D by April 15, 2015
  • Objective 8: Mail completed application (completed school application, recommendation letters completed, essays completed, and money orders purchased) for University E by May 15, 2015

Benefits of Goal Setting
  • Motivation: Each time you complete an objective, it will motivate you; because, you are getting closer Racing Thoughts (not affiliated with a mental health diagnosis): If you constantly have thoughts about what you need to do and when, goal setting will allow you to place your ideas and goals on paper and get them out of your head. This may help reduce racing thoughts.
  • Reduction of Stress: Sometimes the source of our stress is attempting to accomplish too much at one time. Once you are able to see your goals on paper, you can determine by the deadline dates the aforementioned. If you are attempting to accomplish too much at one time, then you can re-adjust.
  • Helping you Move Forward: As we become older, many times we may feel that we are in a rut— primarily because our emotional wellness becomes secondary. For instance, some may think, “There has to be more to life than going to work and paying bills.” One way to move past this type of thinking is goal setting—particularly in the areas of emotional wellness (physical health, hobbies/interests, mental health, relationships, and spirituality/religion).

**Please understand goal setting itself can be overwhelming; therefore, write out goals at your pace. This could mean one goal per day, one goal per week, or one goal every two days.**

I hope this helps someone AND I wish you the best of luck with your future plans.

D.N.SEWELL, PHD, LCSW
OCTOBER 1, 2014