Other ways to use goal setting

So far in this Session, we have looked at goal setting examples that relate to education and jobs/careers.

However, you can use goal setting in any area of your life, to help you achieve any aim or target you might have.

Think first

Can you think of any goals you might set for yourself, that aren’t related to education or employment? Type some ideas into the box below before you move on.

Now click on the images below to explore some examples.

Family blocks
Family and friends
Woman reading iPad
Social activities
UK bank notes
Money
Woman jogging
Health and fitness

Family and friends

You may set goals in relation to your family and friends. For example, you might want to...

  • Make new friends/meet new people
  • Spend more time with existing friends
  • Plan a trip or activity for you and your friends to do together
  • Schedule time to offer help to a family member – maybe someone in your family has a new baby and you can offer to help them, or you have an older family member that you could visit regularly to keep them company, or perhaps offer to do jobs around the house for them
  • Plan new activities for you to do with family members
  • Schedule time to offer help to a family member – maybe someone in your family has a new baby and you can offer to help them, or you have an older family member that you could visit regularly to keep them company, or offer to do jobs around the house for them, etc
  • Plan your future relationships – perhaps you want to be married and have your own family by the time you are a certain age

Social activities

You may set goals in relation to social activities. For example, you might want to...

  • Try harder to relax – perhaps putting some time aside each day/week to do a relaxing activity, such as reading a book, meditating or taking a long walk
  • Start a new hobby or learn a new skill
  • Be recognised for a hobby or skill you already have – for example, “I want to win the award for best player in my football team”
  • Build your confidence so that you are more relaxed in social situations

Money

You may set goals in relation to money. For example, you might want to...

  • Have a job, earning £50,000 per year by the time you are a certain age
  • Save a specific amount of money, in a specific period of time – perhaps enough money to pay for driving lessons, to buy a new phone or to go travelling on a certain date
  • Raise a particular amount of money for a charity that is important to you

Health and fitness

You may set goals in relation to health and fitness. For example, you might want to...

  • Become more active
  • Commit to a regular exercise/fitness programme
  • Lose a certain amount of weight, in a specific time period
  • Build bigger muscles
  • Improve your flexibility
  • Be able to run a 5km race, by a certain date
  • Improve your diet – you might aim to eat more fruit/vegetables every day, eat less chocolate or give up eating red meat

For any of these goals, you can follow the same approach in terms of putting together an action plan. You can identify the goal that you want to achieve, and then work out the key steps/actions you must take in order to achieve it. You should also consider any problems that may arise, that could prevent you from achieving your goal – what will you do to overcome these problems, and keep your plan on track?

Key point

Depending on the type of goal you are working towards, you will need particular skills to help you achieve it.

Some skills will be very specific to the goal – for example, if you’re aiming to run in a 5km race, you will need to have good fitness and stamina levels to increase your chances of achieving this goal.

There are also some general skills which can be helpful in working towards any goal – for example:

  • Motivation – this skill will help to push you to reach your goal, take on new challenges and demonstrate a strong commitment to what you want to achieve.
  • Dedication – if you are dedicated to achieving your goal, you will have the energy to keep going and not give up…you will work hard to make sure you reach your goal.
  • Resilience – this skill will help you to carry on towards your goal, even if things get difficult. Being resilient means that you are able to cope with challenges and setbacks in a positive way…you can find ways to overcome barriers and achieve your goal.