Goal Setting Information:
Accomplishing Short-term and Long-term Goals in Order to Feel Good About Yourself.

My goal is to provide goal setting information to help you feel good about who you are.

In the building self-confidence section of "Relationship-with-Self," it explained the importance of becoming aware of who you are as a unique individual. In this section, my plan and hope is for you to put your newfound awareness into action. And the best way to do that is to set attainable goals for yourself. There are two types of attainable goals:

• Short-term Goals:
  

  Short-term goals are goals set for a short period of time. Getting the dishes done by tomorrow or saving $100 within a month period are both good examples of how to set an achievable short-term goal.

and...

• Long-term Goals:
  

  Long-term goals are goals set for the future (1 to 10 year, or longer, period). "Going to College," "Getting Married," or "Buying a house" are all good examples of setting long-term goals.

Your goals are as unique as you are. So, I can only guess what type of goal you may or may not be aiming for. However, there are common steps to achieving those unique goals.

Lacking self-confidence and not getting anywhere in life go hand and hand. For instance, if you have low self-confidence, chances are you will not feel "good enough," "smart enough," or "deserving enough" to achieve your dreams in life. This will be a challenge within itself, especially if you have had a bad relationship with yourself for years.

However, this can be changed. It only takes conscious choice and action to begin feeling better about yourself.

So, let's make building self-confidence a goal, a short-term goal.

My goal is to change my thinking from "I am not good enough" to "I am good enough" and "I'm not able" to "I will accomplish the goals that I set out for myself."

The most important thing I want you to remember about the first steps in goal setting is this...

For a more detailed description about the first steps to setting goals go to the Goal Setting Tips for Accomplishing Your Goals section.

Now that you have made a decision to accomplish your unique goals, get them down on paper. This helps tremendously to see your goals on paper. It looks more real to visualize your thoughts and choices on measurable items.

I plan to offer items that will help you with this visualization. For now, try this on your own.

1. Be clear and specific about what you want to accomplish. Do you want to go to college? Do you want to set aside some money? Do you want to be more self-confident? Do you want better relationships in your life?


2. Work on one goal at a time. Try not to overwhelm yourself with all of your goals. Or if you're having problems coming up with a goal, now would be a good time to really imagine or dream of what you would like to accomplish. (Winning the lottery may not be an obtainable goal!)


3. Set short-term goals in order to achieve your long-term goals. For instance, let's say you want to go to college. Well that's a long-term goal. So in order to accomplish this long-term goal, you will need to set some short-term goals such as..


1. make good grades


2. check out colleges your interested in


3. check out financial aid/grants/loans/scholarships


4. apply to the colleges, and so forth.


It doesn't do any good to set a goal of wanting to go to college, yet failing to meet the short-term goals. The short-term goals are the key to your long-term success.

4. Be patient with yourself through the process of goal setting. Accomplishing your goals can take some time. So, don't give up!


5. Once you have accomplished your goals you will feel the reward. You will feel proud and confident within yourself. And you will want to set more goals for yourself!

Out of all the goal setting information, remember this...

So use your time well and set goals for yourself. Follow the above guidelines and have faith within yourself during the goal setting process. And before you long, you will know how it feels to accomplish your goals!