Question

Goal-Setting Theory can be applied in in many settings, including education. How can a college student implement Goal-Setting program to help acheive his/her goals? Describe two recommendations for an effective goal-setting program.

Answer 1

Goal setting is nothing more than a formal process for personal planning. By setting goals on a routine basis one decide what he/she want to achieve, and then move in a step-by-step manner towards the achievement of these goals. The process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where you want to go in life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you know what you have to concentrate on to do it. Goal setting is a standard technique used by professional athletes, successful business people and high achievers in all fields. It gives you long term vision and provides you with short term motivation.It helps to focus your attention and knowledge which helps you to organize your resources. By setting sharp and clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. The process of achieving goals and seeing this achievement gives you confidence that you will be able to achieve higher and more difficult goals later on.

Goals are set on a number of different levels. In the first place, you decide what you want to do with your life and what large scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller aims that you must hit so that you reach your overall lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working towards achieving it.

To start with, college student can ask the following questions. Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular or some area of study that you would like to pursue? What information and skills will you need to achieve these goals? Once you have decided your goals, you have to assign a priority to them if you want to succeed. Then review the goals and re-prioritize until you are satisfied that they reflect what you want to achieve in your college life Also, you should ensure that the goals that you have set are the goals that you want to achieve, and not what your parents want to be. Success only happens when you are working for your own well being because doing it for others can risk that you sabotage your own success. Once you have set the plan the college life, you can shorten it to 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your goal of college life. Each of these should be based on the previous plan. Finally set a daily to do list of the things that you should do today to work towards your college life goals. You also have to review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life. Once you have decided what your first set of plans will be, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis.

There is a difference in setting your goals and setting them effectively. Anyone can set a goal, but doing it effectively means that it will actually get done. For this following steps can be done.

1. Express your goals in a positive way. That is a key component to setting goals that you can attain.

2. Set a precise goal that includes starting dates, times and amounts so that you can properly measure your achievement.

3 . When you have several goals, give each a specific priority.

4 . In writing your goals down, you are better able to keep up with your scheduled tasks for each accomplishment.

5. Keep the low-level goals you are working towards small and easy to achieve. Keeping goals small and incremental allows you more opportunities for reward.

6. Set performance goals, not outcome goals . You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible.

7. Set realistic goals . It is important to set goals that you can achieve.

8. Just as it is important not to set goals unrealistically high; do not set them too low. People tend to do this where they are afraid of failure or where they simply don’t want to do anything.

9. When you have achieved a goal, you have to take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals.

With the experience of having achieved each goal, you should next review the rest of your goal plans and see them in the following manner:  

• If you achieved the goal too easily, make your next goals harder

• If the goal took a disheartening length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier  

• If you learned something that would lead you to change other goals, do so

• If while achieving the goal you noticed a certain lacking in your skills, decide which goals to set in order to fix this.  

You should keep in mind that failure to meet goals does not matter as long as you learn from it. Feed lessons learned back into your goal-setting program.

You must also remember that your goals will change as you mature. Adjust them regularly to reflect this growth in your personality. If goals no longer hold any attraction for you let them go. Goal setting is your servant, not your master. It should bring you real pleasure, satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

Two approaches that can be suggested are

1. The 'Quantum Leap' Approach to Goal Setting

This tries to force intense activity by setting a goal that will need a 'quantum leap' in activity to achieve it.

2. Getting Specific in Goal Setting

Although the concept of setting goals in general is a great one to learn; it helps to be able to set goals in specific areas of your life separately. Without being honest with yourself you can’t expect to better your life, you can only expect to have to ask yourself these questions all over again until you find happiness.