Goal Setting and Motivation

Setting Goals: Long Term and Short Term

We all have goals, things we want to achieve. Some of these goals will be achieved today, this week or this month, but many others will take months or even years to accomplish. Goals are complex and are made of many different parts. In most cases, the long term goals that will take a great length of time to accomplish are made up of several short term goals.

Concrete Objectives

It is important to monitor our progress toward a goal and set up concrete, measurable objectives for our goals. Remember from the definitions at the beginning of this module that objectives are measurable and concrete ways that you will achieve a goal.

Now, watch the video below to learn how a fellow Missouri State student is putting long term and short term goals into action and using concrete objectives to reach those goals.

Creating an Action Plan

It is easy to feel excited when a goal is fresh in your mind and you have a plan to reach it, but how do you keep that sense of purpose and motivation going?

Small successes can add fuel to your fire as you work toward goals, so create an action plan to achieve your goals. Each time you complete a task or use a behavior that is necessary for you to reach your goal, you should feel a sense of accomplishment. That is one more step on the path toward your larger goal!

Don't let a small slip-up keep you from reaching your goal. Instead, re-evaluate, adjust your plan if necessary and keep working!

Remember that reaching your goal is within your control and it is up to you to make it happen!

The video below is full of tips from other students about making a plan to achieve your goals.