8.1: Success Begins With Goals

A goal is a desired result that you envision then plan and commit to achieve. Goals can relate to family, education, career, wellness, spirituality, and many other areas of your life. Generally, goals are associated with finite time expectations, even deadlines (Bruce Hill, 2022).

As a college student, many of your educational goals are defined for you. For example, you must take certain courses; you must comply with certain terms and schedules; and you must turn in assignments at specified times. These goals are set for you by the college or your instructor.

In addition to these educational goals related to policies and procedures, there are plenty of goals for you to define yourself. For example, you decide upon your major. You decide how long you are going to be in college or in what semesters you want to enroll. You largely plan how you would like your studies to relate to employment and your career (Bruce Hill, 2022).

Goals also can be sidetracked. Consider the following scenario in which a student makes a discovery that challenges her to reexamine her goals, priorities, and timetables:

Janine had thought she would be an accountant, even though she knew little about what an accounting job might entail. Her math and organizational skills were strong, and she enjoyed taking economics courses as well as other courses in her accounting program. But when one of her courses required her to spend time in an accounting office working with taxes, she decided that accounting was not the right fit for her, due to the higher-stress environment and the late hours required of the job.

At first she was concerned that she invested time and money in a career path that was not a good fit. She feared that changing her major would add to the time needed to graduate. Nevertheless, she did decide to change her major and her career focus.

Janine is now a statistician with a regional healthcare system. She is very happy with her work. Changing her major from accounting to statistics was the right decision for her.

This scenario represents some of the many opportunities we have, on an ongoing basis, to assess our relationship to our goals, reevaluate priorities, and adjust. Opportunities exist every day—every moment, really!

Below is a set of questions we can ask ourselves at any point to help focus on personal goals:

1. What are my top-priority goals?
2. Which of my skills and interests make my goals realistic for me?
3. What makes my goals believable and possible?
4. Are my goals measurable? How long will it take me to reach them? How will I know if I have achieved them?
5. Are my goals flexible? What will I do if I experience a setback?
6. Are my goals controllable? Can I achieve them on my own?
7. Are my goals in sync with my values?

As you move through your college career, make a point to ask these questions regularly.

As you formulate your goals consider the following pointers to help you stay focused:

• Write your goals out and post them where you can see them daily so they are at the forefront of your mind and not forgotten.
• Share your goals with others. Stating your goals publicly holds you accountable.
• Identify any obstacles you may encounter along the way and consider solutions. Think of people who may help you overcome the obstacles or help you brainstorm potential solutions.
• Set a deadline for which you plan to accomplish your goal and monitor your progress. Be realistic and patient with yourself.
• Visualize the goal. See a clear mental picture of yourself accomplishing your goal.
• Be persistent and don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed (Martinez & Shaker, 2021).

Please watch the following YouTube video for an overview of SMART goals – an acronym (memory aid) for how to set and evaluate goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Time-bound. After watching the video, complete Activity 8.1.

Please click on the following link to watch “SMART Goals”: Video SMART Goals [youtu.be]

Activity 8.1

Practicing SMART Goal-setting

Remember the SMART acronym stands for

• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable or Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

If your goal statements contain all of the SMART elements, you will be motivated to achieve your goals because you will know exactly what you’re working toward, you will have a way to measure your progress, you know you are capable of acting on and achieving the goal, the goal is meaningful in your life, and you will have a timeframe within which to structure your efforts. While the A, R and T seem more evident, many students struggle with how to make their goal statements specific and measurable. For example, a goal of “finding the perfect career by the time I earn my degree” is a positive goal that can be acted upon, would make a difference in your life and has a deadline. The goal is not specific and measurable, however, because we don’t know what “perfect” means. If the goal would be instead to “find a full-time position in the field of finance that upholds at least three of my values, interests and personality preferences,” then the goal is specific (full-time job in finance) and measurable (matches at least three career priorities).

Practice making specific and measurable goals by rewriting the following weaker goals using all the SMART criteria:

1. Weak goal: I will get a job with a good salary after I graduate.
   Rewrite a stronger SMART goal:

2. Weak goal: I will choose a rewarding major by the end of this academic year.
   Rewrite:

3. Weak goal: I will earn a higher degree soon.
   Rewrite: