If you have decided this is the year to take advantage of your
military and veteran education benefits, then your ready to take the next
step -- smart goal setting!
Yogi Berra may have
explained the importance of goal setting best when he
said, "If you don't know where you are going, you might
not get there." By setting educational,
financial, career, and family goals, you determine where your going and how your going to get there.
You have experienced mission or objective planning in the military. This planning is no different than personal goal-setting. In addition your experience has surely taught you that for a mission to be
successful the objectives must be clearly communicated -- well defined, measurable, realistic and time driven.
You can use a simple process for writing
down your goals that will assure the goals you
set for yourself are clearly communicated, well defined,
measurable, realistic and time driven. The process for
this is called "SMART"
goal-setting:
SPECIFIC MEASUREABLE ACTION
ORIENTED REALISTIC TIME-DRIVEN/TIMELY
SPECIFIC:Your goals need to be
clear, focused, concise, and well-defined. Avoid general
terms and be as detailed as you can.
Poor example: I want to get my
degree. Better example: I am going
to get my Associates degree in Liberal
Arts.
MEASURABLE: You need to have a gauge like time
frames, dates, dollar amounts, number of credits, etc.
to measure your success.
Non-measurable example: I want to get
my degree, someday. Measurable example:
I am going to get my Associates degree in
Liberal Arts, by the winter of 2006.
ACTION ORIENTED: The goal must require you to
take action, not a reaction. Winning the Lotto jackpot
may be one of the few examples of achieving your goals
without giving much effort; however, your odds are over
1 in 4 million.
Non-Action oriented example: I want
to get my degree, someday. Action oriented
example: I will take two classes a semester,
and pass all of the general CLEP exams to earn my
Associates degree in Liberal Arts, by the summer of
2007.
REALISTIC:Your goals need to be
manageable, attainable, believable and your own! Letting
others set your goals for you leads to low motivation
and high anxiety.
Not-so-realistic example:I want to
get my degree next month. Realistic
example: I will take two classes a semester,
pass all of the general CLEP exams, and use my Military Experience credits to earn my
Associates degree in Liberal Arts, by the winter of
2006.
TIME DRIVEN/TIMELY:Your goals need to
have a starting point, a timeline and an ending point.
Goals can also be broken down into smaller objectives.
SHORT TERM GOALS or STEPS(goals to
be accomplished within the next 6-12 months)
MEDIUM TERM GOALS(goals to be
accomplished within the next 1-5 years)
LONG TERM GOALS(goals to be
accomplished within the next 5-15 years)
Poor example: I
want to get my degree by the time I get out.
Good Medium Term example: I am going
to get started tomorrow taking two classes a semester,
and I will pass a general CLEP exam each month to earn
my Associates degree in Liberal Arts by the winter of
2006.
Critical Success
Factors:
Your goals should be written down in positive
terms.
Your goals should be posted in a prominent place,
so you can stay focused.
The goals have to be your own.
Be flexible, your situations and goals can and
will change as life circumstances change. In other
words, if your deadline becomes unrealistic, change
it.
What's next: 1. Write down your
goals. 2. Start contacting colleges and Universities
to get their help creating your degree plan.
Many schools offer free information packets they
will mail you. You can request information from multiple
schools at once by filling out a form on Military.com.
With no obligation or cost, learning about different
schools is a great way to take the first step. Click
here to request information.
Next
Issue: Creating your personal Action Plan for 2006!
