As we all know, life definitely has its challenges and struggles, and working through these
situations can be hard. One way that we can cope with these things is to work on a new outcome
by setting goals.
The way in which you set goal strongly affects their effectiveness. The following broad guidelines
apply to setting effective goals:
Positive Statement: express your goals positively: 'Execute this
technique well' is a much better goal than 'don't make this stupid mistake'.
Be Precise: if you set a precise goal, putting in dates, times and amounts so that achievement can be measured, then you know the exact goal to be achieved, and can take complete satisfaction from having completely achieved it.
Set Priorities: where you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones. Write goals down to avoid confusion and give them more force.
Keep Operational Goals Small: Keep the goals you are working towards immediately (i.e. in this session) small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making
progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more opportunities for reward.
Today's goals should be derived from larger goals.
One more key point to remember! If you choose to set goals make sure to be realistic. For
example if your goal is to lose weight, be realistic, you aren’t going to drop 50lbs in a week and if you use that as a goal it will end in disappointment. Instead, try saying (or writing down as stated above) I’m going to change my eating habits and exercise first. Then try giving yourself a month to lose 5 or 10 pounds on you new diet regimen. Breaking down goals allows for you to get specific, realistic goals that you are able to attain. Be patient, stick to your goals, and you to following these steps can see results.
This post was taken from Advocate Support Services, Inc., Monthly Newsletter, March, 2008, submitted by Jennifer Cooper.
Recent Comments