Welcome to another 30-minute workshop presented by the

Student Success Center at Eastern Illinois University.

In this session, we will walk the basics of

effective goal setting.

By the end of this presentation you will have some concrete

steps that you can begin taking today to help you

live the life you've only dreamed of before now.

Before we begin, there are a few materials that

you will need as you follow along.

First of all, make sure you have a pen or pencil and

a blank sheet of paper.

Next, you'll want to visit the Student Success Center website

to download the four handouts we'll be using in this session.

Pause the podcast, get the materials you need,

and then rejoin me.

Welcome back!

Now let's get down to business.

First, we will cover the characteristics

of an effective goal.

Next, we will discuss the idea that goals are

"Dreams with Deadlines" and how to build framework

for your goals within a flexible time frame.

Finally, we will look at some strategies to help us stay

on track with the goals we have set and ways to get around any

obstacles that may come up and keep us from reaching our goal.

So what does your future look like?

Take a couple minutes and dream about your ideal lifestyle

in 5, 10, or 25 years.

Think about the following questions.

Where will you live--in the Midwest, on the

East Coast, in the city?

Where will you be working?

How much money will you make?

Will you have a spouse or any children?

Will you be involved in any community activities?

Where will you be vacationing?

At this point don't put any constraints on yourself,

just think about the life that you want.

If you need more time, pause the podcast and

jump back in when you're ready.

Before we talk about how to make your dreams

reality, let's look at the fundamental characteristics

of an effective goal.

This is important because if a goal is not effective,

the chance that it will come to pass is pretty slim.

Goals must be specific.

For example, instead of saying "you want good grades", say

"you will achieve a 3.5 semester GPA at the end

of the fall semester".

That goal is very specific.

Make sure your goals are as specific as possible.

Goals must be measurable.

Take the last example, for instance.

At the end of the fall semester, you will know whether you have

achieved a 3.5 GPA or not.

If your goal is simply to "get good grades", how will you know

when you have achieved it?

Will it be when you get a 2.0 in one year?

Will it be when you graduate?

You must make your goals measurable so you know what you

are working to achieve and you know when you have achieved it.

Goals must be action-oriented.

When achieving goals, you must be proactive instead of inactive

or simply waiting for something to happen.

Goals must be realistic.

Perhaps your dream is to become the President

of the United States.

Your goal cannot be to be the President of the United States.

Your goals must be steps to achieve your dream.

So your goal should be something realistic, saying "you will get

a bachelor's degree in political science", which is a realistic

step toward your dream of becoming President.

Goals must be timely.

You must put a date for the time you plan to achieve your goal.

If you do not date your goals you will have no motivation

to achieve them, and you will never know when

you have achieved them.

Goals must be challenging.

For you to be motivated toward your goal,

it must be challenging for you.

As I said before, the goal should be realistic,

but it must be challenging as well for you to be

proactive and motivated, and for you to continuously

work to move ahead in your life.

If your goal is to achieve a 2.0 GPA, you are allowing

yourself to do average work.

However, if your goal is to achieve a 3.5 GPA, you are

challenging yourself to work harder and possibly do

your best work as a student.

Finally, your goals must be written.

This is very important.

You should write down your goals and keep them in a place

where it is easy to access them often.

If you do not write down your goals, you will

forget them or alter them.

If you want to take your goals seriously, you must write them

down, stick with them, and proactively work toward them.

Achieving each goal is like building a pyramid.

You want to start by building a strong foundation

of short-term goals.

These are the daily and weekly habits we do consistently.

After some time, these short-term goals will propel us

to the mid-range goals we've established for ourselves.

You can think of the time frame for these mid-range goals

anywhere from 1-5 years into the future.

Again, after some time has passed, these mid-range goals

become the stepping stones to help us achieve

our long-term goals.

Now using the last page of the SMART-C goal-setting worksheet,

start mapping out your own long-term, mid-range,

and short-term goals.

Take a look at the sheet you used to dream and translate them

into long-term goals.

On the sheet, you'll see four different categories of

goals--personal, academic, social and professional.

Don't get too hung up on these categories, just get some goals

written that are specific, measurable, action-oriented,

realistic, timely, and challenging.

If you need more time, pause the podcast and rejoin me.

Each short-term or mid-range goal you reach will build

toward the next long-term goal you plan to achieve.

For instance, reaching the goal of earning your bachelor's

degree with a 3.5 GPA will lead you to your next mid-range goal

of obtaining your first job, where you will possibly be

working at a mid-size accounting firm in the Chicagoland area

making $40,000 per year.

Once you have worked at this job for a few years,

your salary may rise, which leads you closer to

obtaining financial independence.

This will then lead you to another goal of purchasing

your dream house and perhaps allowing for other activities

like community service or charity work.

As you begin your journey to success, keep in mind that

each goal has a purpose and will lead you to your next goal.

As you set your goals, make several mid-range goals

to achieve during each year.

These goals may include applying for financial aid, which

will give you the opportunity to register for classes.

Once you have your schedule, you can have perfect attendance in

every class and study for at least 5 hours a day.

You will then pass all of your classes with an A or B average,

which will lead to obtaining a high GPA,

and then take summer classes.

As you can see, goals are like steps--each goal leads

to the next goal.

Sometimes, sticking with your goals can be difficult.

Here are some helpful tips to stay on track with

school-related mid-range goals.

Find a partner or form a small study group.

When you surround yourself with people who have goals similar to

yours, like achieving a high grade in a specific course,

it will be easier to motivate each other.

If you have questions, ask them.

Visit your professors during their office hours.

These hours are specifically set aside to assist students

with any help they need, so if you have a question,

ask it immediately.

If you feel you need to improve study skills or other skills,

like time-management, take a study skills class, or visit the

Student Success Center to improve these skills.

Keep up with your assignments in each class.

If you begin to procrastinate, things will start building up

and become overwhelming.

Stay on top of these tasks and you will stay motivated to

keep up with assignments and responsibilities in class.

If you find that you are struggling with exams, or

even if you simply miss a few questions on a quiz, meet with

your professor to discuss your mistakes.

Learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways

to master information.

Now that you've got some long-term goals set,

lets work backwards.

What are some things you can start doing this week to

build a stronger foundation that will help you reach

your long-term goals?

If you're stuck, see the next slide for some ideas.