The Importance of Goal Setting
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Today the predominant approach to understanding achievement motivation emphasizes goals rather than inner drives: What you accomplish depends on the goals you set for yourself and the reason you pursue them. Not just any old goal will promote achievement, though. A goal is most likely to improve your motivation and performance when three conditions are met (Locke & Latham, 2002, 2006).
• "The goal is specific". Defining a goal vaguely, such as "doing your best," is as ineffective as having no goal at all. You need to be specific about what you are going to do and when you are going to do it: "I will write four pages of this paper today."
• "The goal is challenging but achievable". You are apt to work hardest for tough but realistic goals. The highest levels of motivation and performance, unless, of course, you choose impossible goals that you can never attain.
"The goal is framed" in terms of getting what you want rather than avoiding what you do not want. Approach goals are positive experiences that you seek directly, such as getting a better grade or learning to scuba dive. Avoidance goals involves effort to avoid unpleasant experiences, such as trying not to make a fool of yourself at parties or trying to avoid being dependent.
1). Think of two goals you would like to accomplish. They can be personal goals or professional goals. When people write goals, they have a tendency to think about goals in vague, unrealistic, or negative ways.
2). Now phrase those two goals so that they are (a) specific (b) challenging and achievable and (c) approach goals rather than avoidance goals (for example, to study more efficiently, to improve your relationship with a family member, or to become more physically fit).
3). How can "phrasing your goals" using these guidelines improve your chances of successfully achieving them?
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This solution describes the importance of goal setting methodologies.
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1) Two goals that I would like to achieve are an increased level of income, and an increased educational level.
2) In phrasing these goals in a more specified manner, I seek to increase my income by $5000 per year, by starting a small cleaning business within two months, to supplement the income earned from my job. I plan on increasing my educational level by taking the law school scholastic aptitude test, and attending law school next fall.
3) Phrasing my goals utilizing these ...
Education
- Criminal Justice, Elizabeth City State University
- Master of Public Administration, North Carolina Central University
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