Page 29
Name: __________________
Goal Setting Paper
Typed double spaced, 1” margins, 1- 1 ½ pages, 12 font
Why are goals so important?
-Because without them you don’t go anywhere!
-Whenever you see anything worthwhile being done, it is because someone is behind the idea
with a passion, a belief and a GOAL
How do you set and accomplish goals?
1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something
with your values.
2. A goal cannot contradict any of your other goals.
- For example, you can’t buy a $750,000 house if your income goal is to earn $50,000 per year.
3. Develop goals in 6 areas of life:
- Family and home
- Financial and Career
- Spiritual and Ethical
- Physical and Health
- Social and Cultural
- Mental and Educational
4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative.]
- Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a person. Don’t limit
positive thinking to goal setting only.
5. Write your goal out in complete detail
- Instead of writing “A new home”, write a 2800 sq ft home just outside the city limits with 3
bedrooms, 2 baths, and acreage for my horses.
- You are giving your subconscious mind a very detailed set of instructions to work on. The
more information it has to work with, the clearer the final outcome becomes.
- Can you close your eyes and visualize the home above? Make it real.
6. By all means, make sure your goal is set high enough.
7. The most important step is to write down your goals.
- Create a roadmap to reach your goals. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals;
the more likely you are to accomplish them.
Page 30
Career Portfolio
Freshman Goal Setting Paper
You have a choice whether to answer the prompts below or to write (type) an essay on a separate
sheet of paper.
Discuss your goals from this first year of high school. What goals did you set? Are you on
track for reaching the goals you set during the last school year? Do your short-term goals match
with your long-term goals? Are your goals a good match for you overall, considering your personal
interests, abilities, and values? Do you need to make adjustments to your goals or to the plans you
have made to help you reach your goals?
1. Discuss your goals from your first year of high school. What goals did you set? Are you on
target for reaching these goals?
2. Explain how your goals match you overall. Consider these questions: Do your goals match your
interests, talents, and skills? Are your goals within your ability? Do they match your long-term
plans?
3. What adjustments to your goals (or plans) should be made to help you reach your goals? Do
you need to adjust your career pathway accordingly? How will you do this?
4. At which of the six steps of the goal setting process listed below are you successful? Explain
why. What steps do you need to improve? Why?
- Goals should reflect your personal values
- Goals should be specific
- Goals should be realistic, but challenging
- Goals should be written down
- Goals should be visualized
- Goals should have rewards
Page 31
Goal Setting Essay Guidelines
One of the basic truths about decision making is that our choices are determined by the
goals we wish to reach. This can be as simple as how we treat other people (I treat other
people well because I want them to treat me well), or as complex as the choice of a career
field (I will take as much math and science as possible because I want to become a
Chemical Engineer). Knowing what we want guides us into knowing which decisions to
make.
As a 9th grade student, you are entering a period of life when you will face important
decisions that will impact much of your future. You will need to know what classes to take,
what skills to develop, and what occupations to pursue. You will need to decide what to do
after high school, what college to attend, and where you believe you will best fit in the work
of work. If you haven’t realized it yet, the time has come to begin thinking seriously about
what you want to become when you grow up.
This assignment is meant to help you begin answering these difficult questions by forming
a vision of your goals for your future. In this assignment, you are to write an essay which
describes the goals you have for your life after high school and into adulthood. You are to
write with as much detail and description as possible, following the format provided below.
The essay should be at least 1 page in length; it must by type double spaced or write neatly
in ink (not recommended).
Intro paragraph:
Introduce yourself and the topics you will address in the body of your
essay.
Second paragraph: Describe your education goals. What types of classes do you plan to
take? Will you go to school or seek additional training after high
school? Where do you hope to go? How much post-high school
education do you hope to pursue.
Third paragraph:
Describe your goals for your living situation as an adult. Where do
you hope to be living as an adult? Will you own a home? What would
you like that home to be like? Will you be married? children?, pets?.
What will you do for fun and leisure? What will your hobbies be?
How will you use your time when you are not working?
Fourth paragraph: Describe your occupation goals. If you have a dream of entering a
specific occupation, write about it. What will you be doing? What is it
like to do that kind of work?
IF you do not have a specific career goal, write about the types of
activities you would like to be doing in your job. For example,
working outside? inside?, helping people?, building things?, using
machines?, etc.
Closing paragraph: Provide a summary of what you have written in the body of your
essay