CHAPTER 2
Making Decisions and setting goals
• One of the traits of being a health-literate person is being a critical thinker and problem
solver, having the ability to evaluate information from reliable sources and then make a
proper, responsible decision.
• Decision making model – six basic steps in making decisions.
Step 1.
• State the situation
– Ask yourself, what decisions need to be made
– Identify the people that will be affected by your decision
Step 2.
• List the possible options
– What are my choices?
– Share your options with people you trust for their advice
– Remember to include “not at all” as one of your choices
Step 3.
• Weigh the possible outcomes
– Positive and negative results of your choice
– Is the decision healthful, safe and legal?
– Does it show respect for myself and others?
Step 4.
• Consider your values
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Is your action within your values
Am I comfortable with the possible outcome?
What will my family and other people think about my decision?
How will I feel about this decision in weeks and months ahead?
Step 5.
• Make a decision and take action
– Use everything you know at this point and make a decision
– You can feel good that you have carefully prepared yourself for this decision
Step 6.
• Evaluate your decision
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Reflect on what happened
What was the outcome?
Was it what I expected?
How did my decision affect my health?
What effect did my decision have on others?
– What did I learn from my decision?
– Would I take the same action again?
Recap
Setting Goals
• Goal – something you aim for that takes planning and work to reach.
– Short-term goals – goals that can be reached in a relatively short period of time
– Long-Term Goals – goals that take longer periods of time and maybe even
lifetimes to reach
Goal Action Plan
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Select a specific goal to work on
List what you will do to reach your goal
Identify sources of help and support.
Set a reachable time frame for reaching your goal
Establish checkpoints to evaluate your progress
Reward yourself after reaching your goal
• While goals can differ in the amount of time and degree of effort necessary to
reach them, all can be achieved by creating an action plan.
• Action plan – multi-step strategy for identifying and achieving goals.
Other guidelines for setting goals
• Keep these additional guidelines in mind when setting goals:
– Make sure you goal will not harm your health or any one else’s.
– Be sure you goal shows respect for you and everyone else affected by it.
– Set a goal because it will help you grow to be a better person, not because you want to outdo
someone or win someone’s attention.
– If you fail to reach your goal, keep your head up, use what you learn from failure to set a new goal.