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Phyllis Reardon M.Ed.
Life Coach
As a life coach, I help people discover what they want in life and help them set goals to achieve success. The following helpful hints have been modified from Goal Setting Workshop for Parents.
“Most people know exactly what they want but they don’t know how to achieve it."
Coach Phyllis
As you prepare to enter college, I guess it could be compared to a journey you haven’t taken before; yes it may be similar to your secondary school, that is books, papers, classes etc but the success of this journey depends to a greater degree on how well you have planned and on how determined you are to achieve success.
Success in life or in College takes planning and a big part of planning is setting Goals. Setting Goals is asking the question, what do I want in your life and in college. Once you know your goals the next step is designing Strategies or Actions. To insure you complete the Actions break them into doable pieces and give them time lines. Success comes when you reach the goals or outcomes you set.
Goal Setting Activity for College Students
Goals setting involves naming what you want to achieve and describing actions necessary.
Goal: Writing a term paper.
1. Create a time line and break up the work in doable size pieces.
2. Display this time line on your wall, desk or day planner as a daily visual reminder.
3. Schedule the day of the week and exact time to work on the paper.
4. Make a note of the grade you want to receive.
5. Announce to family or friends when the paper will be complete, making your goal public can help create motivation for completion as it sets up monitors.
6. Remember there are 168 hours in a week, use them wisely.
Goals need strategies; strategies define actions; action leads to success.
Your Future View
Did you know that the more clearly defined a picture you have of yourself in the future the more likely you are to reach it? This picture of yourself could be called your possible self, the person you want to be. But pictures are not enough, goals must be set and actions taken to be successful.
Your Future View Activity
Create a picture of yourself by asking where you want to be in 5 years.
What does it look like? What diploma or degree is hanging on your wall?
Where are you working?
Where are you living?
What is your salary?
What car are you driving?
Now make a list of the necessary actions steps to reach this desired self.
College Knowledge
Entering college is comparable to beginning a journey and sometimes journeys or trips can be the cause of some concern and worry, the unknown may cause feelings of uncertainty, even fear.
One way to lessen these real concerns is to become informed. Knowledge is power, increase your power. Correct information always seems to dispel doubts so research your college.
Know what the rules and regulations are; check out your course descriptions and determine what is expected of you;
check out parking permits; tuition payments;
campus recreation/social clubs. Know how the library system works.
Know who to contact if faced with unforeseen obstacles.
Check out advisor/mentor or buddy programs; help centers; student council.
Take control, search the web, plan, increase your college knowledge.
Life is all about planning although we may not think of it in that way; what to eat, what to wear, who to spend time with and on and on and some of it happens without much thought.
Success will happen but only if proper goals and strategies are put in place!
Contact phyllis@coachphyllis.com
Adapted from my Goal Setting Workshop for Parents
Phyllis Reardon, Life Coach
www.coachphyllis.com Inc. (c) 2009 |
