In order to reach their goals, your students need to have drive strength. They must set their goals properly to allow drive strength to work. Teach your students to practice and follow these seven basic rules for goal setting:
1. Dare to Dream
The first rule for goal setting is perhaps the most important. Teach your students to let themselves dream. Many people never let themselves dream for fear of falling short of their dreams. Dreams are the seeds that grow into success. When setting goals, keep in mind that the goal most likely to be achieved is the goal that is the most challenging. Goals that are not challenging prove to be non-motivating.
2. Believe in your dreams
Everyone has a right to believe in his or her own success. In order to convert a dream to a goal which will be achieved, your students must believe in it. Once a goal is believed in, it can be achieved. Positive beliefs are the keys to unlock the door to success, while negative beliefs block the door to success.
3. Define your goals
The next step to goal setting is to clearly define each goal. Write a goal statement in simple, direct language. Successful people know what they want and can clearly state their goals to themselves and to others. In order to write a good goal statement, remember the following rules:
- Use an action verb.
- Make the statement measurable.
- Set a date.
- State cost limitations.
4. Prioritize your goals
The problem with setting goals is that it can feel like there are too many of them. Have you ever felt that way? If so, take heart, you are only human. Everyone has limitations of time and resources. You need to prioritize your goals so that you can direct your drive strength toward the most important ones.
To create a list of priorities for your goals all you need to do is list all of your goals and then put them in order of importance. When deciding which goals are most important, make sure to consider time and resource limitations.
5. Do what it takes to achieve your goals
Successful people know how to make their plans work. They possess the energy needed to make them work. Most people are quite content to work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, almost as if a 40-hour-week is their goal. Successful people don’t put any time limits on their work. It is the journey toward their goals that is important, not how long they spend on the road each day. Persistence is essential in order to succeed.
6. Be open to change
Teach your students that successful people are flexible. They know that change always produces opportunities. They also know that, along the road of life, goals set in the past may have to be changed. By being open to change, your students can revise their goals and make sure that they remain meaningful.
7. Accept risk
In order to achieve goals, risks must be taken. In order to be successful, one needs to learn how to live with risk. Risking failure can be scary, but it is a necessary part of setting and achieving goals. The key to good risk taking is to take sensible, calculated risks. Do not try to avoid the necessary risk taking that your goals require. While avoiding risk does provide some sense of security, it does not stimulate creativity and growth.
Thanks for tuning into our post on the 7 rules for goal setting. If you want to learn more about developing or teaching soft skills, sign up for a free soft skills webinar here.
