How to Set Goals to Guarantee Success
Affiliated COUNSELING
AND REFERRAL SERVICES (ACRS)
DR. Michael Shery, clinical
psychology
2615
Three Oaks Rd, Ste 2A,
Cary, IL 60013
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“Since
1976, state-of-the-art counseling which treats the problem, not just the symptom…”
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FREE Taped Messages: Call 847 516 0899 (24 Hrs). To hear: How to Select a Counselor-Push 1; Emotional Stress Caused by an Accident or Injury-Press 2
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How to Set
Goals to Guarantee Success
Whether this is your first experience with setting goals or you've been
setting them all of your life, here are some helpful suggestions and ideas. Set your goals using an internet-based system. An
internet-based system does a few things better than traditional paper-based systems, owing to the internet's power and
flexibility.
Traditional goal-setting wisdom has taught us that a goal must be a) written,
b) challenging, c) believable, d) specific, e) measureable, and f) have a specific deadline. Unfortunately, it's not too difficult to think of an
example that directly challenges any of the above goal-setting criteria. For instance, the goal "to live a more spiritual life" may be a
valuable, meaningful goal for many, but it's hardly measurable and assigning a deadline makes little sense for a permanent alteration of
lifestyle.
This traditional checklist of things that "make a good goal" is largely a product of old technology: pen and paper. The
old-school of goal-setting suggested that people write down goals on a small slip of paper and keep it in their wallet or purse. Suffice to say
that slips of paper rapidly dissolve into lint. Today we have email.
So what makes a good goal? All of the above criteria are still good components of most goals. However, they are not
necessarily all required when using the internet model. For our purposes, a good goal is one that is worthy of individual pursuit. And that is so
highly subjective, far be it from us to define what is your worthy pursuit.
A different question is, "What makes a good Goalplan?" On this, our position is precise: A good Goalplan is one that when
followed, offers a reasonably high probability of success, given sufficient time.
Let's take each of the traditional points one-at-a-time:
Must all goals be written?
It's important to record your goals, whether you use the internet model or physically write them down on paper. The problem with the
paper method is that hand-written goals are difficult to update and manage, and of course, hand-written goals provide none of the additional
features that are made possible by the Web.
You must believe that it is at least possible for you to achieve the goal or you will not
be motivated to try. More importantly, it is you who must believe, not others (see what to do about naysayers). Also, just because
you should believe that the goal is possible does not mean that you must expect it to be easy or even probable. Indeed, some
argue that completion of only the most difficult goals will have enduring value to you. Similarly, some of history's greatest moments were the
result of people attempting "the impossible," such as flying or putting a man on the moon.
We recommend setting at least one easy goal and at least one challenging one. You could
have several of each but you should limit the number of challenging goals or tasks coming due at any one time to avoid becoming
overwhelmed or frustrated. The easy goals build good habits of follow-through and reward you with quick gratification. The
challenging goals force you to grow. A mix of the two is ideal.
Must all goals be measurable and specific?
Your goals should be measurable and specific enough for you to know unambiguously whether
they have been completed yet or not. However, to save space on the computer screen, abbreviated goal titles such as "to reduce my stress"
might be more convenient than titles such as "to reduce my stress by practicing yoga three nights a week and lowering my blood
pressure by 10 points."
Instead, when using the internet, make your individual tasks measurable and
specific as much as possible, even if the details must be written on paper.
Here's the big shocker: Goals no longer have to have a deadline! Technology has allowed us
to expand the definition of what a goal can be to include: direction, commitment, or lifestyle enhancement as opposed to a mere end-point.
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The Miracle of "On-Going" Goals
There is a new type of goal called an "on-going" goal, that is sustained over time, managed, and
tracked, but by design, never-ending. Why, for instance, would you want to end a goal, "to keep myself in excellent physical condition" or
"to be an honest and trustworthy person"? Such goals should have no end-date, and now they don't have to. Using the internet to
achieve "on-going" goals may sound revolutionary to long-time power goal-setters. It is revolutionary. We invite you to try
it>
Set Goals Here!
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Presented by:
Dr. Mike
Shery is the director of ACRS and is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has practiced
clinical psychology for approximately 24 years and is affiliated with almost all health plans,
including: ValueOptions, Medicare, Cigna,
Cigna Behavioral Health, United Health Care, Aetna, First Health, Healthstar, Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Illinois, ComPsych, Magellan Health, HFN, Tricare, Humana, most union local
plans, most school district plans, Unicare, ChoiceCare, CAPP, Multiplan, Mental Health
Network, Managed Health Network, PHCS, PPONext, Humana Military-Tricare, United Behavioral
Health and Beech Street.
He is board
certified as a specialist in professional
counseling by the International Academy of
Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He a member of the American Counseling Association.
The office
is located in Cary, IL, near Crystal Lake and Algonquin, northern Kane County and in
southern McHenry County. In select cases,
phone consultations are available for those who don’t live locally> Telephone
Counseling.
To make an
appointment>New Patient Registration
or to learn more about the psychological services he provides call him at 1-847-516-0899
(24 Hrs).
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To make an appointment, schedule yourself now;
Click: Make appointment for Cary Office: Therapy and
Counseling
To return to: The Psychology of Success Tool Box
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