A STUDENT’S TO DO LIST:
- Clean my room.
- Finish writing my essay on recycling.
- Do spelling homework.
- Do math homework.
- Eat some of Mom’s chocolate chip cookies.
- Go to soccer practice.
- Chat with friends online.
- Listen to the new cd….
Do you ever scrap your daily TO DO List and just spend time dreaming
about your future? Maybe you’re dreaming about becoming a
scientist or a famous author. Or perhaps you just want to earn the
most improved player award for your soccer team. Dreaming about
what you want is important. Writing down your dreams is the first
step in making them come true.
Sometimes it’s overwhelming to look at a big dream and figure
out how to go about achieving it. One way to start your journey
on the right path is to write down action steps (or goals) that
will get you closer to your dream. If you’re having trouble
dreaming about your future, ask your teacher, parents or friends
to do some brainstorming with you.
Setting and working on goals takes practice. The first time you
set a goal you might set it too high and make things too hard on
yourself. That's okay, high goals mean you have high hopes. Just
remember that you may have to adjust a goal because you may not
have anticipated additional steps or challenges you encounter. After
you’ve written down your goal, make sure to share it with
your teacher, parents or even your friends. It always helps to have
someone to bounce ideas off of and to help you stick to your goals.
Whatever you do, don’t give up and keep dreaming!
Try using SMART Goals to help you set your course. SMART goals
are:
Specific-Don’t write fuzzy
goals that leave out your needed action. Pin yourself down by answering
the “W’s”: Who, what, where, when, why. Example:
A fuzzy goal would be, “Have better behavior at school.”
But a specific goal would say, “I will not talk while my teacher
is talking.”
Measurable-You should be able to
measure your progress towards your goal. Example: “I will
raise my reading grade from a B to a B+ this semester.”
Attainable- Set a goal that you
believe you can reach. It should match your abilities and interests.
Example: An unreasonable goal is, “Be the best soccer player
on the team”. An attainable goal would be, “Practice
my kicking so that I can score a goal this season.”
Relevant- Create a goal that is
important to you and your dreams. If you’re not excited or
motivated about this change, you won’t succeed. Example: A
relevant goal could be to, “Practice my spelling list at the
beginning of the week so that I can ace my pre-test and not have
to take the test on Friday.”
Time-based- Determine a date, time,
or schedule for your goal. Example: A fuzzy goal is, "Practice
my math facts more often.”, but a time-based goal would be
to, "Set aside 15 minutes each day to review my math fact flashcards.”
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