CHAPTER 39

How Can I Reach My Goals?

Which of the following would you like to have?

□ More confidence

□ More friends

□ More happiness

ACTUALLY, you can have all three! How? By setting and reaching goals. Consider the following:

More confidence. When you set small goals and reach them, you’ll have the confidence to take on bigger ones. You’ll also feel more confident when facing day-to-day challenges​—such as standing up to peer pressure.

More friends. People enjoy being around those who are reasonably goal-oriented​—those who know what they want and who are willing to work for it.

More happiness. Let’s face it: There’s little fun in being bored or waiting for your life to happen. On the other hand, when you set and reach goals, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Ready to get started? The following pages will help! *

 ✔ 1 IDENTIFY

1. Brainstorm potential goals. Have fun with this step! Don’t analyze; just write down as many ideas as you can. See if you can come up with at least 10 possibilities.

2. Evaluate your ideas. Which ones seem the most exciting? The most challenging? Which would you be especially proud of achieving? Remember, the best goals are often the ones that mean the most to you.

3. Prioritize. Number your goals according to the order in which you would like to achieve them.

 ✔ 2 PLAN

For each of the goals you’ve chosen, do the following:

List your goal.

 Learn Spanish for my trip to Mexico

Set a deadline. After all, a goal without a deadline is just a dream!

July 1

Plan the steps involved.

Steps

1. Get a phrase book.

2. Learn ten new words each week.

3. Listen to other people speaking Spanish.

4. Ask someone to verify my grammar and pronunciation.

Anticipate obstacles. Then think of how you’ll overcome them.

Potential obstacles

No one nearby speaks Spanish

Make a commitment. Promise yourself that you’ll do your best to reach this goal. Now sign and date it.

How I can overcome them

Download audio recordings in Spanish from www.jw.org.

․․․․․ ․․․․․

Signature Date

 ✔ 3 ACT!

Start immediately. Ask yourself, ‘What can I do today to start toward my goal?’ Granted, you may not have every detail worked out, but don’t let that keep you from getting started. As the Bible puts it, “if you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, Today’s English Version) Find something you can do today​—even if it’s small—​and do it.

Review your goals daily. Remind yourself why each one is important to you. Track your progress by putting a ✔ (or a completed-on date) next to each step as you complete it.

Use your imagination. Think ahead and imagine yourself achieving your goal. Feel the sense of accomplishment. Next, think back through the individual steps, one at a time, and visualize each of them. Finally, see yourself completing each step, and imagine how great you’ll feel when you reach your goal. Now go for it!

[Footnote]

KEY SCRIPTURE

“The plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage.”​—Proverbs 21:5.

TIP

Don’t worry about rigidly sticking to a plan. Be flexible, and make adjustments as you progress toward your goal.

DID YOU KNOW . . . ?

The bigger the goal, the more satisfying your feeling of accomplishment on reaching it!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

● Is it possible to have too many goals at once?​—Philippians 1:10.

● Does setting goals mean planning out every minute of your life?​—Philippians 4:5.

[Blurb on page 283]

“It’s easy to get discouraged if you don’t have anything to focus on or look forward to. But when you set and reach goals, you feel good about yourself.”​—Reed

[Box/​Picture on page 283]

Sample Goals

Friendship Make one friend outside my age group. Reestablish an old friendship.

Health Exercise at least 90 minutes each week. Get eight hours of sleep each night.

School Improve my grades in math. Stand up for what is right when pressured to do what is wrong.

Spirituality Read the Bible for 15 minutes each day. Share my beliefs with a classmate this week.

[Picture on pages 284, 285]

Goals are like blueprints​—it takes work to turn them into reality