Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? – Mary Oliver

Goal Setting

Transitioning to college is challenging for most students. They are faced with new physical surroundings, new social environments, new daily tasks and responsibilities, and most likely new financial obligations. It is a time filled with exciting new challenges. Successful college students find ways to balance work and life and commit to new goals.

A goal is a desired result that you envision, then plan, and commit to achieving. Goals can relate to family, education, career, wellness, spirituality, and many other areas of your life. Generally, goals are associated with finite time expectations, even deadlines.

As a college student, many of your goals are defined for you. For example, you must take specific courses, comply with certain terms and schedules, and turn in assignments at specified times. These goals are mostly set for you by someone else, but there are plenty of goals for you to define for yourself. For example, you decide what you’d like to major in. You decide how long you are going to be in college or what semesters you want to enroll in. You largely plan how you’d like your studies to relate to employment and your career.

Obstacles are things people see when they take their eyes off the goal. – E. Joseph Cossman

Break Goals into Small Steps

Consider the following question: If we decided today that our goal is to run a marathon and then tried to run one tomorrow, what would happen? You might be thinking: (jokingly) “I would die,” or “I couldn’t do it.” Why? Because we might need training, running shoes, support, knowledge, experience, and confidence—and these things cannot be gained overnight. Instead of giving up and thinking it’s impossible because the task is too big to prepare for, it’s important to develop smaller steps or tasks that can be started and worked on immediately. Once all of the small steps are completed, you’ll be on your way to accomplishing your big goals.

What steps would you need to complete the following big goals?

• Buying a house
• Getting married
• Attaining a bachelor’s degree
• Paying off a debt
• Losing weight

These smaller steps you came up with, like contacting a real estate agent or choosing a diet plan, are necessary intermediate steps to achieving the big goal, and even those must be broken down into even smaller actions, such as doing research. All of our major life goals require us to formulate and accomplish smaller more manageable actions that will eventually lead us to the success we’re looking to achieve.

Short-term, Mid-term, and Long-term Goals

As you think about your own goals, think about more than just being a student. You’re also a person with individual needs, hopes, and plans. Your long-term goals likely include graduation and a career, but if you are unsure about your future career, MCC has many resources to help you explore. As you work through your goals project you will be asked to create a long-term goal for your certificate or degree at MCC. Your goals may also involve social relationships, a romantic relationship, family, hobbies or other activities, a desirable place to live, and so on.

Goals also vary in terms of time. Short-term goals focus on today, the next few days, and perhaps weeks. Smaller and more manageable tasks, such as studying for a test, reading a textbook chapter, or working out, are examples of short-term goals. Achieving your short-term goals leads to achieving your mid-term goals, which involve plans for this semester or school year. Midterm goals include such things as earning passing grades in all classes, making the dean’s list, or making new friends. Long-term goals may include graduating college and transferring to another institution or seeking employment in your field of study. Often your long-term goals (the kind of career you want) guide your mid-term goals (getting the right education for that career), and your short-term goals (doing well on an exam) become steps for reaching those larger goals. Thinking about your goals in this way helps you realize how even the little things you do every day can keep you moving toward your most important long-term goals.

The act of finding the best words to describe your goals helps you think more clearly about them. Follow these SMART guidelines when creating goals:

Goals should be specific.  The more concrete a goal is, the more likely we are to achieve it. Begin by answering the who, what, when, where, how, and why to help avoid goals that are too general. Some of these questions may be answered in the next steps. For example, “I will become a great musician” could be replaced with a more specific statement, such as, “I will finish my music degree in five years and be employed in a symphony orchestra.”

Goals should be measurable.  Establish concrete criteria for your goal by choosing specific dates, numbers, or milestones to help you stay on track. Goals such as, “I will read twenty pages a day” or “I will work out three days a week” are examples of measurable goals.

Goals should be attainable. It’s good to dream and to challenge ourselves, but goals should also relate to our personal strengths and abilities. Setting realistic goals increases the likelihood of achieving them.

Goals should be relevant. It’s important to consider our own passions and desires when setting goals so they’re applicable to our own lives and relate to who we are and what we value.

Goals should have a time frame. Vague goals, such as “finish college someday,” are not as motivating as goals with a deadline. Project a time frame for reaching your goal such as, “I will have a final draft of my paper completed by Friday” or “I will graduate from MCC in six semesters.”

You should really want to reach the goal. We’re willing to work hard to reach goals we care about, but we’re likely to give up when we encounter obstacles if we don’t feel strongly about a goal. Be sure you are committing to a goal for the right reasons and it is something you really want to pursue. Then take all the small and steady steps that eventually lead to long-term success.

The following video examines SMART goals:

Personal Goals

Reflect on the following questions to help focus your personal goals:

1. What are my top priorities?
2. Which of my skills and interests make my goals realistic for me?
3. What makes my goals believable and possible?
4. Are my goals measurable? How long will it take me to reach them? How will I know if I have achieved them?
5. Are my goals flexible? What will I do if I experience a setback?
6. Are my goals controllable? Can I achieve them on my own?
7. Are my goals in sync with my values?

Motivational Strategies to Support You

Creating goals and keeping them in a place you can see them is a good strategy for many students. As you are working, studying, and juggling all your responsibilities, it can be nice to see a visual reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. There are also many resources at MCC that can support you toward achieving your goals. Your professors are also routing for your success.

Who else do you have in your corner? Your family? Your significant other? Your friends? A grandparent? A neighbor? Your children? Yourself? It is important to know your resources and know who you can count on. If you have people in your support network that have been to college, it can be great to seek them out for advice or just to talk to them because they’ve been through it. If people in your support network have not been to college, you may find you need to help them understand all the new demands on your time. It might be helpful to share your goals with them and to let them know that while you value their relationship, there may be times in the semester that you’ll need to study and work on papers and projects. The conversation is especially important if they don’t understand that college takes more time than simply attending classes. Whether you have a support network that understands what you’re going through or not, make an effort to make connections on campus. Get to know your classmates, your professors, a tutor, adviser, Peer Navigator, or staff member. Find people you can go to when you need support.

Choices for Success

Every day we make choices. Some are as simple as what clothes we decide to wear, what we’ll eat for lunch, or how long to study for a test. But what about life-altering choices—the ones that leave us at a crossroads? How much thought do you give to taking Path A versus Path B? Do you like to plan and schedule your choices, by making a list of pros and cons, for instance? Or do you prefer to make decisions spontaneously and just play the cards that life deals you as they come?

The videos that follow are about choices for success. Watch them with a keen eye and ear. Take notes, too, because you might pick up some good ideas for strategies that can help you reach your goals.

Haroon F. Mirza is the director of business development at Intel Corp. Mirza talks about defining moments, how life is all about choices and how we can create defining moments that can change the trajectory of our lives:

Dr. Nido R. Qubein is the president of High Point University. In this video he discusses his book Seven Choices for Success and Significance: How to Live Life from the Inside Out:

Problem-Solving Through Setbacks and Obstacles

At times, unexpected events and challenges can get in the way of our best-laid plans. For example, you might get sick or injured or need to deal with a family issue or a financial crisis. Your priorities may shift, or you may need to reevaluate your goals.

Goals can also be sidetracked. Consider the following scenarios in which students make discoveries that challenge them to reexamine their goals, priorities, and timetables:

Jose’s Journey:

• Original Plan: Jose chose accounting as his major because his uncle, a successful accountant, inspired him. He also read that accounting was in demand.
• Unexpected Obstacle: In his first semester, Jose found accounting boring and struggled with the math. Meanwhile, he discovered a passion for theatre while helping his roommate rehearse.
• Actions Taken and Revised Plan: Jose got math tutoring but still lacked interest in accounting. Career assessments suggested an office job might not suit him. After speaking with a career counselor and taking a theatre class, he changed his major to fine arts and earned a leading role in a production.

Regina’s Journey:

• Original Plan: Regina chose nursing because she loved caring for people and admired nurses. She also knew it was a well-paying career.
• Unexpected Obstacle: She didn’t realize she needed a year of prerequisites before applying to the nursing program. Despite working hard, she struggled with math and biology. However, she excelled in and enjoyed psychology and sociology.
• Actions Taken and Revised Plan: By the end of her first year, Regina realized she wouldn’t qualify for the nursing program. She discovered a stronger interest in psychology and sociology and decided to pursue Human Services, aiming for a career in social work or counseling.

John’s Journey:

• Original Plan: John returned to school to become a chef after being laid off. He loved cooking for his family and received lots of praise.
• Unexpected Obstacle: After speaking with culinary professionals, he learned the job required working nights and weekends—time he wanted to spend with his kids.
• Actions Taken and Revised Plan: Wanting a hands-on job with daytime hours, John explored other options using career inventories and Career Coach. After visiting the Applied Technology Center, he switched to automotive. He enjoyed his internship and secured a daytime job that allowed him to support and spend time with his family.

These scenarios represent some of the many opportunities we have, on an ongoing basis, to assess our relationship to our goals, reevaluate priorities, and adjust.

Problem-Solving Strategies

One way to avoid potential problems is to think proactively, meaning you think through potential problems and solutions so you are better able to handle issues when they arise. An added benefit of proactive thinking is that you can process calmly and clearly without the stress and other emotions that often come with crisis situations.

Below is a four-step problem-solving process that can be applied to any area of your life.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• Define the problem. Analyze the situation by answering the following questions: What is the real issue? Why is it a problem? What are the root causes? What are some of the key characteristics: Timing? Resources? Availability of tools and materials? You may need to narrow the problem down. Many problems are made up of a series of smaller problems, each requiring its own solution. Can you break the problem into different parts? What aspects of the current issue are “noise” that should not be considered in the solution? Use your critical thinking skills to separate facts from opinions in this step.
• Generate possible solutions. List all your options. Use your creative thinking skills in this phase. Did you come up with a second “right” answer, a third, or a fourth? Can any of these answers be combined to create a stronger solution? What past or existing solutions can be adapted or combined to solve this problem?
• Evaluate your options. Consider the pros and cons of each possible solution and/or combination of solutions and try to predict the likely outcome of each option.
• Choose the best solution. Commit to the best course of action for your situation.

Another way to be sure you are on course to achieve your goals is to review the earlier set of questions about focusing with the intention on goals. Remember that setting goals is a process you need to continually adjust. Think about what is working or not working and make changes as needed.