Goals, objectives, aspirations, expectations… Try as we might to hide from them, these daunting words seem to pop up everywhere we go! We have monthly objectives to meet at work, fundraising quotas at church, and weekly training goals at the gym.
As a society, we are constantly pushed to achieve and the bar-setting begins before we’re even old enough to develop lazy habits. A friend of ours attended her first parent-teacher conference prepared to discuss her son’s sandbox social skills and finger paint masterpieces. She was taken aback when she somehow became engaged in a poignant discussion about her son’s ‘current goals and expectations’ by his preschool teacher! Kudos to the teacher for thinking ahead. But in arming this mom with information on kindergarten targets, she likely put the kibosh on this kiddo’s summer of swimming and video gaming!
We can all agree that some goals are unnecessary or downright ridiculous, but setting the bar can also help us to achieve great things. If my parents hadn’t set the expectation that I graduate from college, I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to discover a career I enjoy. If my husband didn’t know that a trail race was looming right around the corner, he’d forgo hill training at a nearby park and just continue pounding the pavement on the same, flat, boring route in our subdivision.
If we can’t hide from goals or sweep expectations under the rug, perhaps we should at least make the best of the goals we set so that they work for us and spur us on to greatness!
Goal-setting has proven to be an essential element of behavior change interventions and performance management programs. The research also shows that, if having one big goal is great, a series of small, step-wise objectives is even better! Imagine planning a cross-country road trip with your family… Deciding on a final destination is step one, but the trip will go much more smoothly if you trace out a general route and plan a few rest stops along the way.
It’s the same with setting any large goal. Without well-defined benchmarks, you’re likely to lose focus or get frustrated when the going gets tough, squashing your chance for success. Before you get geeked-up and jump into a new work-out program or running schedule, start by assessing your current status so that you can set challenging, yet reasonable goals and chart a path for change. Setting specific benchmarks and achievable objectives makes it easy to track (and reward!) your own steady progress, which translates your efforts into real, measurable transformation!
Get Ready, Get Set… Get Goals!
Goals, objectives, aspirations, expectations… Try as we might to hide from them, these daunting words seem to pop up everywhere we go! We have monthly objectives to meet at work, fundraising quotas at church, and weekly training goals at the gym.
As a society, we are constantly pushed to achieve and the bar-setting begins before we’re even old enough to develop lazy habits. A friend of ours attended her first parent-teacher conference prepared to discuss her son’s sandbox social skills and finger paint masterpieces. She was taken aback when she somehow became engaged in a poignant discussion about her son’s ‘current goals and expectations’ by his preschool teacher! Kudos to the teacher for thinking ahead. But in arming this mom with information on kindergarten targets, she likely put the kibosh on this kiddo’s summer of swimming and video gaming!
We can all agree that some goals are unnecessary or downright ridiculous, but setting the bar can also help us to achieve great things. If my parents hadn’t set the expectation that I graduate from college, I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to discover a career I enjoy. If my husband didn’t know that a trail race was looming right around the corner, he’d forgo hill training at a nearby park and just continue pounding the pavement on the same, flat, boring route in our subdivision.
If we can’t hide from goals or sweep expectations under the rug, perhaps we should at least make the best of the goals we set so that they work for us and spur us on to greatness!
Goal-setting has proven to be an essential element of behavior change interventions and performance management programs. The research also shows that, if having one big goal is great, a series of small, step-wise objectives is even better! Imagine planning a cross-country road trip with your family… Deciding on a final destination is step one, but the trip will go much more smoothly if you trace out a general route and plan a few rest stops along the way.
It’s the same with setting any large goal. Without well-defined benchmarks, you’re likely to lose focus or get frustrated when the going gets tough, squashing your chance for success. Before you get geeked-up and jump into a new work-out program or running schedule, start by assessing your current status so that you can set challenging, yet reasonable goals and chart a path for change. Setting specific benchmarks and achievable objectives makes it easy to track (and reward!) your own steady progress, which translates your efforts into real, measurable transformation!