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The Path to Success for The Goal Setting Teen
by Marian Pobee and Awo Amorin
At the beginning of the New Year most people come up with
their New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, by the beginning of February most people would already have broken their
resolutions. Wouldn’t you like your teen to learn the skill of goal setting, that will persist year after year, and that will help him become
successful in whatever he undertakes, throughout his life? Adopt these tips, to help your teen develop the skill of setting
goals that prepares him for lifelong success.
1. Sit with your teens, and help them determine their goals and purpose
in life. Discuss their strengths and skill sets, and passions and hobbies. Write it all down. It may take more than one session
to complete this list.
2. Teach them to write short term goals, and long term goals. They can use index cards, posters
etc. Help them create vision boards. This makes their goals more realistic to them and gets them excited about achieving those
goals.
3. Determine if there is a need in the community, school, online or a particular industry etc. that they can
fill with their particular skill sets.
4. Write down the steps necessary to meet that need and how they will achieve
those steps. Their plans should be as specific and detailed as possible, and with proposed timelines where appropriate. Even
if things look unattainable at this time, write it all down in faith. You will be amazed at how doors will miraculously open
and reveal the next steps, when you are ready, for the next level.
5. Envision with your teen, what you think the finished
product or achievement will be like, who will it benefit, and how will he feel when he has accomplished his goal. Encourage
your teen to write this down as well.
6. Have your teen review his goals every day, if possible, twice a day. Encourage
him to find mentors and role models who will give him valuable advice. Let him feel free to modify his ideas, as new ideas
become apparent to him.
7. Celebrate his accomplishments, as these goals are met, and encourage him to develop new
goals and aspirations, that may stretch him a little more.
8. When your teen faces difficulties on the journey to achieving
his dreams, which he will undoubtedly face, then have him review his written dreams and goals. This is a great motivator,
and will help your teen stay on task when the hard times roll around.
9. Help your teen see that no goal worth achieving
will be accomplished without hard work and dedication, with a good measure of persistence. Though one may stumble several
times, the goal setting teen rises from the fall re-evaluates the situation and determines
a better way of attaining those goals.
Goal setting for teens is extremely important, because teens are more likely to
succeed if they have a vision of what they want to accomplish in life.
Any man without a goal or aim in life is indeed
like a wave tossed around by the sea, and never really achieves his life’s purpose. Empower your teens on the path to
success, in whatever field they choose, by teaching them goal setting that endures through the different seasons of life and affirming
and congratulating them, when those goals are met.
Author's Bio Marian Pobee is a pediatrician who has worked closely with teens, and was struck
by the disconnect that occurs between parents and their teens. She is working to bridge the communication breakdown that occurs
during the critical and formative teenage years.
Awo Amorin currently working with children experienced firsthand
during an exchange program where she met teens from all over the world, the challenges that face teens and their families
and is always willing to lend a listening ear.
Visit parents-and-teens-in-tune.com for heartwarming tips and advice to make parenting your teens less stressful and a wonderful path of discovery and
success for both you and your teen.
Goal Setting For Better Grades
by Eric Mayo
One of the most important things you can do is to set clearly
defined, realistic goals. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. Most students that fail
have no specific goal in mind. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your
efforts. Just saying that you want to do better in school is not enough. You must understand what you want to achieve and
how better grades will help you get what you want. Do you want to graduate with high grades because you want to get into a
particular school or earn a scholarship? Do you want to go into a particular profession?
Goals are broken down into
two types.
“Big Picture” or long range goals are a particular outcome you would like to achieve as a result
of all of your efforts.
Short term goals are small manageable pieces of your long term goals. Short term goals keep
you on track and let you know where changes need to be made.
Rules for effective goal setting:
1. Know exactly what you want and why.
2. Aim high.
Shoot for the moon. If you miss you'll still be in the stars.
3. Goals must be realistic and have a deadline.
4.
You must be able to mark your progress.
5. Write short description of your goals down and post them where you can see
them everyday.
6. Share your goals only with friends and family members who support you and want to see you succeed.
Write
your goals down. Put copies on your bedroom wall, in the bathroom, on the refrigerator – everywhere. Reviewing your
goals daily is a crucial part of your success and must become part of your routine. Each morning when you wake up read your
list of goals. Then each night, right before you go to bed, repeat the process.
Every time you make a decision during
the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal." If the answer is "closer to," then
you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do.
If you follow this process
everyday you will be on your way to getting better grades.
Author's Bio Eric Mayo specializes in professional and personal development with special
emphasis on life skills and job readiness training. Eric has over 20 years of corporate and educational experience which he
uses to help people improve the quality of their lives.
Mr. Mayo has a degree in Business Administration from Seton
Hall University where he was a standout member of both the Pirate football and wrestling teams. An author and lecturer, Eric
is the author of the books, “From Jail to a Job", “The Teenager’s Guide to Getting a Job" , “The Secret
to Getting Better Grades", and has addressed, among others, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Charles Hamilton Institute
for Race and Justice of the Harvard School of Law. He is an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and has spent his life
committed to community empowerment.
Eric has been studying, learning, applying and executing the art of personal achievement
and leadership throughout his career. It is truly his passion and his gift. He combines a straightforward approach and real-world
perspective with a presentation style that is inspirational and motivational. His primary message is, “Independence
through Self-Reliance." www.selfgrowth.com
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