In our last blog post, we talked about the S.M.A.R.T method to achieving our goals.
This acronym represents Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
For more in-depth information, take a minute to read that blog post.
For part two, here is a helpful example to better understand this goal-setting concept:
Let’s say I have a goal to get good grades.
S. Specific
What: I want to receive all A’s and B’s in my classes this school year.
Who: The parties involved would be me, teachers, tutors, classmates, and parents.
Where: The spaces where this goal will take place are in my school, library, home, and study sessions.
When: Starts the first day of class and ends at the beginning of summer vacation.
Which: The requirements of tests, projects, homework, and presentations. Constraints include sports involvement, hanging out with friends, and leisure time.
Why: I would like to get into a good college program and begin the process of discovering my interests. On a deeper level, I would like to instill good habits of action and commitment toward goals in life that open up doors to new possibilities.
M. Measurable
An example of a way to measure the goal of receiving good grades is to create milestones by breaking down class syllabuses into bitesize, markable pieces.
Say there is one project, two presentations, and daily homework in each quarter of a class. The marker points can be the project and the two presentations, and the end of each quarter can be the point of assessing and reevaluating this goal.
Some thoughts could be, “Do I need extra help in this class?” “If so, what are my resources?” or “Do I need to reassess this goal and realign to my values and why?” This could be due to an unexpected commitment to a sports team or shifts in family or friend dynamics.
The next step to consider for this goal within the S.M.A.R.T goals framework.
A. Attainable
One place to start within this consideration is the things within and outside of my control. Some things that would seem to be outside my control are the teacher’s subjective grading of assignments, life events within family and friend groups, and school policies and procedures.
Most things that would be within my control would be my attitude towards school work and my effort towards developing habits and discipline that would create a positive goal outcome. And also my decisions that lead to time management and balance.
When thinking and reflecting on the steps, I have been taking so far toward my goal of getting good grades this school year. I want to spend time pondering the R. in S.M.A.R.T. goals.
R. Relevant
Are the steps I have taken relative to my original overarching goal?
Maybe I have spent time doodling the headlines of my notes for Science class. Am I missing valuable class time and content while I doodle? Is having good-looking notes going to move the needle in terms of my goal of receiving good grades? This could be a chance to reflect on the relativity of having aesthetically pleasing-looking notes towards my overarching goal of receiving good grades.
T. Timely
The last consideration is timeliness. If I get a bad grade on a piece of homework and feel shame and guilt about this, it can be important to remember the timeliness of this goal. This short-term loss does not hold a long-term impact on my goal of getting good grades if I create my timeline as an end-of-the-year goal with quarter assessments within the progress.
This was a simple example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal, and probably one that most of our participants have given some consideration.
Our intent is to help our camp community here at Famous Adventure better achieve all that you can dream. As we are individuals, so are out dreams; we hope that providing a guidepost to goal achievement is one way to support everyone's ambitions.
This is why we have created the Girl’s Outdoor Adventure & Leadership (GOAL) program.
For more information, check out of GOALS tab on our website.
Here are some other helpful resources
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