88 Unit 2 Setting and Reaching Life Goals
for him. He set subgoals and then broke those
down into short-term goals.
Sean then developed a plan of action (step 2 of
Figure 4.5). His plan of action includes the steps
he will take to reach his goal and a time frame
for each step. Steps in a plan of action need to be
realistic. They need to be something you are willing
and able to do.
Handling Obstacles
Even if you have a plan of action, obstacles may
arise to interfere. An obstacle is something that
stands in the way as you try to reach a goal.
Watching too much television could be an obstacle
if your goal is to improve your grades. One way to
deal with obstacles is identify them as you make
your plan of action. Step 3 of Figure 4.5 shows how
Sean identifi ed some possible obstacles to his plan
of action and listed actions he can take to avoid
those obstacles.
Your Standards
Standards are guidelines that indicate a level
of quality in a product or task. Your standards
help you identify what level of quality is or is not
acceptable to you. Standards can help measure your
progress toward your goals. If you value getting
good grades, you may set a goal to make the honor
roll this semester. To help you reach that goal, you
could set certain standards for yourself. These may
include getting an A on most of your assignments.
Meeting these standards should help you reach
your goal.
Some standards are easily measured, while
others are based on personal experiences. In
school, you are usually required to follow the
standards set for all students. For instance, you
must earn credits for graduation. To do so, you
need to do well on tests. These school standards
are measurable.
Why are subgoals and short-term goals an
important part of a plan to reach a goal?
A long-term goal may be broken down into
several smaller subgoals (Figure 4.4). Each subgoal
is a step leading toward the long-term goal. Libby
has a long-term goal to save $1,000 for a down pay-
ment on a car. She has smaller short-term goals of
saving $100 each month. Her monthly goals are
subgoals that will help her reach her long-term goal.
Subgoals can help you keep a positive attitude
as you work toward a long-term goal. As you reach
each one, you will feel more confi dent about your
ability to reach your long-term goal. As a result,
your success rate for accomplishing your goals
will increase.
Developing a Plan to Reach Your Goal
Use your values to set your goals. This will
help you make plans that are important to you in
each area of your life. Your most important values
can help you identify the goals that you should
work on fi rst. Working on all your goals at one
time is diffi cult. It is easier to choose two or three
very important goals. Then take steps to reach
them. As you progress toward these goals, you
can add others.
See step 1 of Figure 4.5 to see how Sean set a
goal to be physically fi t. This is an important value
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Figure 4.4 Breaking down a long-term goal into
smaller subgoals makes it possible to see progress
toward completing the long-term goal. What could
be some subgoals for a long-term goal of winning a
state championship?
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