Goal Setting
Posted on August 24, 2015 by Maria Boublil, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Goal setting is a key component to student success. High school and post-secondary students need to have clearly defined goals.
ROAD TO SUCCESS– PAIN vs. GAIN
I am often asked by students and parents why goal setting is important for student success. After all how can a teen possibly be able to set goals when most prefer to live in the moment?
Of course young people do not have the life experience or a solid understanding of themselves to make concrete life decisions. In truth many adults still struggle with this.
However, when we talk about goal setting, it is not only in the context of “what do I want to be when I grow up?”
Goal setting is the process of planning and evaluating short term and long term objectives. These objectives can be personal, career, educational, or social.
The reality is that at the end of high school, regardless whether of the student is ready or not, they will need to make some decisions. The consequence of not having a plan in place could result in the dreaded “my teenager still lives at home and plays video games all day” syndrome. As many parents will attest, this is a syndrome that is very difficult to break once it starts. The more demotivated a teen becomes, the more difficult it is for them to reengage.
Goals help us:
-stay on track
-understand what we need to do
-overcome challenges
-stay motivated
-maintain focus
-practice grit and perseverance
-gain deeper understanding of ourselves
Another key factor in the importance of goal setting is the PAIN vs. GAIN theory:
When there is no concrete goal in place, we are rarely able to perceiver through obstacles. The reality is that any goal will require some degree of pain, or sacrifice in order to achieve it. Otherwise we would already be there. When we are faced with challenges or what I call “speed bumps”, it is becomes easy to let these stop us. Without direction (GOALS) it’s difficult to push through the pain…when we can’t see the gain.
No goal = No Momentum = No ability to Overcome Challenges
Goals will change and evolve over time – these are not written in stone. However, regardless of where we are in our journey having a clear understanding of your goals will help maintain focus and perseverance.
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