Your Goals. Your Future.
Check out 4 steps you can take today to help you get started on setting and achieving your goals. There’s no question that, in planning for the life you imagine, the best way to take ownership of your future is to set goals. Goals are stepping stones to a healthy, happy, and productive life.
What are YOUR dreams, and how can you make them a reality?
4 Steps You Can Take Today to Prepare for Tomorrow
Step 1: Discover YOUR goals.
Choose goals that are important to YOU. Think about your vision for your future. What will you need to achieve to get there?
Talk with a parent, friend, or mentor if you need help identifying your goals. A mentor could be a teacher, counselor, or other adult you admire.
Design a vision board to discover your goals.
There are many ways you can create a fun and inspiring picture of how you want your future to look. You can use social media platforms like Pinterest or Instagram to find, save, and even share inspirational images and quotes. You can create a vision board using poster board, markers, photos, and magazine clippings. Or you can make a digital vision board.
To make a digital vision board, find photos or illustrations (your own or ones from royalty-free websites such as Unsplash or Pexels) that represent your goals. Use your favorite free online tool like Canva or Piktochart to gather them in a collage to create a digital display. Add words that inspire you or remind you of your goals. You can also add some fun icons or shapes. Consider using your vision board as your phone wallpaper so it will be a daily reminder of everything you’re working so hard toward.
Step 2: Make a plan.
Did you know you are more likely to succeed if you list your goals?
Take the goals you discovered when you made your vision board and use this goal-setting planner to list at least one goal for each of the following:
- next week or month (example: pass your science test)
- next year (example: find a part-time job)
- 3 years from now (example: get into college or learn a trade)
Be specific and realistic. If your goal is to improve your grade in math, list your target grade. Set a date for completing your goal.
For each goal, include the steps you’ll take to reach it. For example, if you want to get a better grade in a class, one step could be making time to do the homework. Another step could be going to tutoring after school or studying with a friend who is doing well in the class so you can get help.
Make a note of what will help you take those steps and reach your goal. It could be a thing (like an SAT workbook, a YouTube video that teaches you how to play an instrument, or an app that tracks your workouts) or it could be a person (like an adult you trust or a good friend who can give you advice).
If you think a person could help you take those steps and reach your goal, then check out our Find Your Mentors tool. Did you know that having a mentor can help you be more confident, make smarter and healthier choices and have healthier relationships? Having a mentor can even make it more likely that you will graduate from high school and go on to college or vocational school!
Step 3. Keep the end in mind and don’t get discouraged.
Setbacks happen. Don’t give up if you don’t achieve your goal right away. If something goes wrong, make a note in your digital planner about what other steps you can take or what extra support you need to achieve your goal.
Visualize yourself achieving your goals and think about how that feels. Remind yourself why each goal is important to you. Don't let anyone or anything steer you off track. Your goals are too important.
Step 4. Congratulate yourself.
Reward yourself for each step you take toward success by doing something fun you've wanted to do, whether it's watching a movie, spending time with a friend outdoors, organizing a virtual hangout with loved ones, or just relaxing and recharging.
Use the image below to share one of your goals! Take a screenshot and fill it out, then share it with your friends and family.