Goal Setting for Teens

Wow. I remember when I first started writing. I wish I’d known then what I know now! But don’t worry – I’m going to tell you what I know now, so you can have a super fast and successful start to your writing career.

I did ok in those early days – a few letters got published in some big magazines, I got the odd article accepted here and there in some low profile magazines, and one or two short stories received publication and a few complimentary copies.

But as I say, I wish I’d known then what I know now. I was doing ok, but I was aimless. I had no real direction to go in. If I felt particularly inspired, I might write a couple of articles in one day; I remember once writing three in a single day and getting every single one published. But then I’d bask in the glory of my success for weeks… and it was ages before I summoned the muse to write again.

This is a real stumbling block for the newbie writer. If you have real ambitions as a writer – if you want to get published (and paid for), and you have a list of magazines tucked safely under your pillow that you dream about getting published in someday… you need a plan. You need a goal.

This is something I never realised until a few years ago. You can be the most talented writer out there; you can be the next John Grisham, the next JK Rowling, or the next Stephen King… but it doesn’t matter a jot if you don’t have a plan for how you’re going to get there.

Goal setting can make the difference between doing okay, and getting a few pieces published here and there, or making a successful, full time career as a writer. Even if you only want to keep your writing in hobby status, setting goals for yourself can mean that hobby brings in several hundred pounds a month extra, and puts your name in several well known magazines every month.

So how do you go about setting goals?

Well the first and most important thing you need to do is to be honest with yourself. Grab a notepad and pen, and settle down in a comfy chair where you won’t be disturbed. Ask yourself what you’d really like to achieve with your writing. Be honest – don’t neglect to write something down because you don’t think you could ever do it, or it’s too hard, or you don’t think you’re good enough. This is like the ‘what would you do if you won the lottery?’ question – go all out and dream!

Would you like to write a book? Get a short story in a world famous magazine? What’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to achieve with your writing?

Let’s say you want to write and publish your own book. That’s a big goal. But you can do it – if you go about it in the right way. That’s where goal setting comes in. But you need to know how to do it properly – and for maximum effect.

First of all, write your goal down on a Post-It note. But don’t write it as if it’s something you want – write it as if it’s already happened. So you’d write something like this:

“I am a successful published author, and I make £1000 every month selling copies of my book online and in bookstores.”

This might sound a little strange, but it really works! The key is to write your goal down as if you have already achieved it, and then stick the Post-It note where you will see it often – ideally right by your computer screen. By doing this, you will impress the message upon your subconscious, which will get to work for you and start making your dream come true.

Sounds even stranger now, I’ll bet! Well, the subconscious is an amazing thing, but you don’t really need to understand a great deal about it for this method to work. The simple reason it does work is this – the subconscious cannot tell the difference between what is real and what you tell it is real. Whatever messages you bury into your subconscious, it will make them come true.

Think about it. Have you ever noticed how people who are down on their luck are convinced it’s because they’re naturally unlucky? And then something bad happens to prove it? And that convinces them even more… and so on, in an ever downward spiral?

And think about someone you’ve met who always seems to be doing well? They’re always optimistic, always looking for the best in every situation… and they always seem to be ‘getting lucky’?

Both these types of people have ultimately created their own surroundings. The person who expects to succeed does exactly that – because they work towards that goal, and their subconscious drives them there. The unlucky person expects to be unlucky because that’s what always seems to happen to them – so that’s what their subconscious ‘mirrors’ back to them.

So get your subconscious working for you, and think about what you would really like to achieve as a writer. I have used this technique for some time now, and I can tell you it’s amazing what starts to happen when you trust your subconscious and stick that little Post-It note where you can see it!

A while back, I set a goal to get some e-books published. I wanted to be earning £1000 a month by writing and selling articles and e-books, so I stuck my note on my computer monitor, and I found myself looking at it probably twenty or thirty times a day.

Within a couple of weeks of doing that, my first book was on sale with an online publisher, and I had an agreement with a second publisher to write another one for them. In the same short space of time, I found a website on which I could display and sell my articles (check it out at www.constant-content.com/?aref=5038 – I thoroughly recommend it), and sold a couple within five days of each other. It felt like I’d just ‘got lucky’ and stumbled across all this information… but I know it’s because my subconscious knew what it needed to do, and went for it like a heat seeking missile!

And all thanks to that Post-It note!

So you can see what’s possible. Think about what you’d really like to achieve, and set yourself some goals today. If you follow the technique above, I promise you you’ll be celebrating in no time!

Go to it – and enjoy the journey.

Goal setting could ensue in the early part of life, before entering the professional world; or it might be sometime later in life, when you are thinking about a career change. It’s importance increases from the fact that it will support your livelihood, and it will be something that you will be involved with every day in your life.
Setting A Goal
There are various things that count when you want to set a career goal. The career you choose should be one that you love. If you enjoy your work, it will not seem like work at all. If you love your work, and think that what you are doing is important, it will not only give you tremendous satisfaction, but it will also improve your productivity, and help you progress on your career path. You should know what you desire in life, and once that is known you need to tirelessly and dedicatedly follow the chosen path.
Often, we are not too sure what we want to achieve. But, choosing a career with the kind of work you love doing will definitely help you in the long run. Your chosen career should be such that it brings out your talents, and that those are put to creative use. After working in a different field for some time, I moved into writing. This was something I had always enjoyed doing (but frankly, never thought of as a profession). However, now my work is more like a pleasure and I am enjoying every moment of it.
Though I got into writing quite by chance, and I was lucky enough to “accidentally” get into the field that I loved, this will not necessarily be the case with everyone. That is why it is important at the beginning that you chose a career doing something that you actually like doing.
The Money
For most of the people dissatisfied with their profession, the most common factor is money. You should evaluate the kind of money you will be able to make in your chosen profession. Can it take care of your long-term needs? Is it because of money (or the lack thereof) that you are thinking about changing your profession?
Though loving and enjoying your work is important, for practical purposes, money also needs to be considered. You should strive to strike a balance between your love for a particular job and the money you can make. Everybody has different priorities, and it is you, who will need to decide and set your priorities. It is a universally accepted fact that some professions pay more than others. But the general trend is that if the economy is strong, all professions do well, and people, in general earn good money. However, bad times affect different people and different professions in different ways.
Thus, it is evident that you pay good attention to setting your career goals, it definitely helps in the long run. Goal setting should be done with a clear mind, great determination and focus.

For the most part, a teenager’s communication skills get worse every day as they submerge themselves in their world of text messages and abbreviate everything.  They have no idea how to look someone in the eye, shake hands or even speak up with something other than “wassup”.

With budget cuts getting worse every day and class sizes getting bigger, how can we get to these kids and teach them what they need to know about survival?  The teachers can’t do it, they’re stuck with curriculum that must be taught and then tested.  The curriculum is old and for the most part outdated.  The teachers are underpaid and have no incentive to inspire. The kids are bored and don’t listen and as a result our drop out ratio is higher than ever.  This is our future folks – these kids will one day be running our country and making decisions that will affect a lot of us as we enter the later years of our lives.  If you think life is scary now – just wait!

I’ve been taught that when you see a challenge, find a solution.  So that’s what I’ve done.  I’ve created a series of “classes” to teach life skills to teens. I’ve been fortunate, in that I have found a way to relate to teenagers, and they to me. Coaching and mentoring these kids feeds my soul, but more importantly gives them a new outlook with which to face life.  I’m not saying that they’re all a mess, but there are way too many who are.  I realize this is pretty brutal, but then, the truth usually is.

It starts with self esteem.  Who are their role models?  Who do you think are their role models and why?  Is it Eminem and his rap or Tiger Woods and his focus?  Are they listening and doing, or just doing without listening?  Are they aware of consequences?  Do they care?  Do they know what a goal is?  If so, do they know how to set and reach it?  These are just the first few questions and answers that we dig into when I’m coaching.  What makes a teenager tick?  How can we motivate them to think and do something positive?

Teenage is a tough time, but we can help them to develop a sense of self and future goals.  They can learn to think, act and even accomplish things they never thought about.  One of my first students was a 16 year old high school mother with absolutely no self esteem or thoughts that she could accomplish anything other than just getting through school, and even that would be a first in her family of 14!  She grew into a confident, skilled, smart young woman and worked for me personally for 10 years!  I’m so proud of her and who she has become, the family she is raising and the life she is enjoying.

If we can work together to produce a better curriculum for life then that’s what we must do.  Contact me! Tish@talk2tish.com or direct 310.822.1978!

Let’s work together to create a better life for your kids!  I know we can do it!

Everyone is talking about Tiger Woods and his affair. Use this shocking event to have discussions with your children. Don’t know how to broach the subject. Orchestrate a Future Lifestyle Map family event as excerpted from the book, Follow Your Inner Compass Teen.

“Let the outrageous crazy adventures be ever present in your memory. These experiences bring joy, triumph and a pride of accomplishment. Imagine if we were to set out to create more of these experiences. Our lives would be a blast of fun. What experiences would you create? Draw pictures of the 3 craziest, outrageous experiences you want to achieve in life. Maybe it is to produce a movie, a CD, own a billion dollar business, build a hotel. Whatever your experience is, draw a picture of it. Do not draw a career or a thing. Draw the ultimate experience you want to achieve. If you can not draw, cut out pictures in magazines and paste them on a piece of paper. Put all pictures into 1 picture. This is your Future Lifestyle Map.  Frame the picture and hang on the wall. Be outrageous.    Be daring.   Become ridiculous. Have fun.” Imagine the entire family sitting at the dining room table cutting out photos from a magazine to create their collages. There is an excitement in the air as parents and siblings learn about each other and their dreams. There is even more excitement as each family member explains their dreams and goals. “It is quite enlightening.  There is a simple understanding that keeps everyone focused, especially teenagers who are trying to find themselves,”   states Ida Byrd-Hill, author of Follow Your Inner Compass Teen. Parents can begin to have a different relationship with their children. Rather than parents continually harping on good grades and discipline, young people become motivated for getting those grades as most of their dreams and resolutions will be anchored to a career goal.

Follow Your Inner Compass Teen (www.followyourinnercompass.com) determines careers by personality type based on a Myers-Briggs type test and links it to a fictional or cartoon character with the same personality type. Young people can watch TV and see themselves.  They can also discuss their personality type with friends like a horoscope. The new question for 2010 will be “What is Your Personality Type?” The Future Lifestyle Map began 5 years ago for my family when I required my children, Kevin and Karen Hill to take the Myers Briggs test.  We discovered radio and TV production would be a suitable career for Karen based on her personality type and video game design/ physicist for Kevin. They are in the 11th grade in a performing/ visual arts school and fully focused on college and career. The Future Lifestyle Map was perfected in a pilot at a Detroit alternative high school that obtained an 80% graduation rate and 85% attendance rate amongst high school dropouts and adjudicated youth. As you are talking to  about their  dreams, goals and future lifestyle you can slide into the Tiger Woods subject. You will be amazed how much they will tell you about their feeling.

Goal setting is an important part of making progress no matter what you are trying to do. Small incremental steps are needed to both boost confidence and to measure progress. No company can go from nothing to a powerhouse overnight. There are a multitude of tiny steps in between. This is how we run our company. We know that we aren’t the most successful company on the planet, but we have a vision in our heads of where we want to be in 2 years. The only way to reach that huge goal is to set smaller goals along the way for us to achieve. I like to think of it as a ladder. If you’re climbing a ladder up to a high point, you can’t take one step and skip the rest to the top. It’s impossible to do this with a ladder, and it’s impossible to do this in business. There is no easy way to reach the top; it takes hard work and discipline.

A similar way that I look at goal setting is in weightlifting. Weightlifting is a hobby that I have enjoyed now for over a year. It’s lots of fun and it keeps me in shape. Goal setting is a crucial part of any weightlifter’s training. If I wanted to lift a heavy weight that was beyond my ability, I can’t just lift it anyway. My body simply won’t allow me to do this. The way I can do it is to lift slightly heavier weights each time until my muscles have adapted sufficiently. These smaller increases are goals that lead me to my much bigger goals. Each time I reach these smaller goals, my confidence increases and it drives me to my ultimate goal. This can be applied to sports, business or anything else in life. I feel this confidence drive me in business. When I set a goal of increasing the number of people in my network by 10 in one month, and I make it, it makes me wonder if I can do even better. I find myself wanting to top myself each and every time. Every small goal that I achieve gives me more drive to do better.

If you establish performance goals during the annual performance
evaluation process and have often wondered where to start, here
is a little guidance. I work with many supervisors and employees
who see goal setting as the opportunity to list the classes the
employee will attend for the coming year. And, while learning
goals are appropriate, the goal setting process can be much more
meaningful. Here are four kinds of goals that you might consider
when setting annual performance goals.

1. Essence of the Job Goals – These are the goals that clearly
describe tasks that are required on the job. For example, an
accountant might have a goal to prepare and submit monthly
financial statements. A librarian might have a goal to catalogue
and reshelf returned books within 12 hours. A mail clerk might
have a goal that requires her to deliver all mail daily to all
work sites. Essence of the job goals make the expectations for
the job clearer than they are listed on the job description.
These goals personalize the job to the position and to the
individual employee.

2. Project Goals – Project goals are those activities that the
employee will pursue with a beginning and an end and may be
above and beyond the employee’s routine duties. Project goals
can be related to improving systems, developing new products,
creating new programs, or anything else that you can think of.

3. Professional Development Goals – Professional development
goals specify what the employee will learn for the coming year.
While attending a class to learn something new is noble, I
challenge you to find new ways to help employees develop their
skills while clearly linking the goal to the organization’s
needs. For example, “cross training in a new work area at least
one day per week” is a professional development goal. A better
goal would be to cross train in the accounting department at
least once per week and be able to reconcile bank statements by
October 31. Or, “attend a training class on PowerPoint and
develop a new slide show to be used in new employee orientation”
would be more challenging than just attending the class. Make
sure the professional development goals not only develop the
employee, but also help your organization.

4. Performance Improvement Goals – Performance improvement goals
should be saved for those times when you want to emphasize
clearly that an employee’s behavior must change. Performance
improvement goals include things like, “arrive to work ready to
serve customers at 8 a.m. every day” or “limit the number of
customer complaints you receive to three per quarter.”
Obviously, not all employees would need these kinds of goals.
However, they can be helpful in documenting your performance
expectations in a clear and measurable way.

Now, go out there and set some goals! Make your expectations
clear and everyone wins!

I’m sure you, like me, are bombarded with emails, conversations and thoughts about goal setting, particularly each new year. If I had a nickel for each email I’ve received since Jan 1st that talked about goal setting, I’d be a rich woman! Yet, have I set my goals down on paper yet? No, I haven’t. Until this week, I have been diligently trying to avoid the whole topic, no doubt because I have had limited success with achieving any goals I’d actually written down in years past.
Then recently, some information came my way that just made so much sense. It’s not new information, that’s for sure, but I guess my mind was just finally open to it and it sunk in. I FINALLY understand why having a “why” visibly attached to your goals is so important. And even more importantly, why your “why” must be in front of you at all times.
Here’s what I learned: the reason so many people fail to achieve the goals they set for themselves is they focus too much on the process of achieving those goals, rather than their “why” for the goal itself.
For example, the #1 goal set each Jan. 1st is to lose weight. So many people seriously set this as a goal for themselves as each new year begins, yet so many never realize their goal. Why? Because they focus on the process of achieving that goal, rather than why they have the goal in the first place.
The process of losing weight is not all that glamorous, to be sure. You have to change your routines, get moving, be consistent, and be patient as you work through the process. If you decide you are going to walk briskly for 30 minutes each weekday, what happens the first day it rains?
If you are focusing on the process, your thoughts will likely sound something like, “No, I’d really rather not get soaking wet today, thank you very much.”
But if you are focused on your goal of having more energy and being able to keep up with your kids or grandkids, then you’ll likely be thinking, “Ok, where can I take my walk that I won’t risk pneumonia in the process?”
I have resolved to only write down goals for which I have a strong “why”. I encourage you to do the same. Forget what everyone else’s goals are. Forget what everyone else says you should be able to accomplish. What do YOU want to accomplish, and why?
WHY?
When you figure that out, then make life easier on yourself and keep those “whys” in clear view. Focus on how you’ll feel when you achieve the goal – live it NOW.
Monitor how you talk about the goal.
Concentrate on the positives of your “why”, not the negatives of the process.
Tell someone else about your goal, so you have someone to go to later and say, “Please…remind me why I’m doing this again?” It can make all the difference in the world…in your world.