Goal Setting.

Have you heard of SMART goals? Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Well the textbook we use in my college success class, On Course, uses the acronym, DAPPS. Dated, Achievable, Personal, Positive, and Specific.

I like that they use “personal” as part of the goal making process. The goals you make need to be your own. How easy is it to disregard goals other people have set for you? I don’t like when people tell me what to do and how I should live my life. It makes me want to rebel against it. I have felt in the past that goals I haven’t set for myself don’t mean as much to me as the personal ones I have set. I have more drive to accomplish things when I have the true desire to do so.

Also, pay attention to the positivity of the goal. Bad self talk isn’t effective in the goal setting process. For example, if you say, “I am fat and ugly so I need to lose weight and not eat junk food.” or “I won’t smoke another cigarette so I won’t die.” These don’t sound very motivating at all. Using words such as won’t and not create a negative mindset which then makes it difficult to follow through in the goals you have set. Instead, swap out these negative words with positive ones. State what you can do to stay on track and accomplish your goals.

I like the ted talk by Patti Dobrowolski. She shares 3 steps on how to get from your current state to your desired new reality by “drawing your dreams into reality”. First, through seeing it. Then, by believing it. And lastly, acting on it.

It’s easier to see/achieve your dream when you are able to visualize/write it down. Having your dreams displayed through a picture helps you to be more motivated in accomplishing your dreams and turning them into a reality.