This is just a discussion post only needs to be 100 words at least. For this discussion question, please make sure to respond to BOTH items listed below:Discussion Questions
Item A.
Describe a situation where you set a goal and achieved it. How did this accomplishment make you feel? Which elements of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting did you use in this case? What did you learn about goal setting from this experience?Item B.
Describe a situation where you set a goal but were not able to accomplish it. How did this make you feel? Which elements of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting did you fail to use in this case? What did you learn about goal setting from this experience?
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 1
Reading
There are four items to complete in this reading area:
1. Reading
2. Challenge Activity
3. Powerful Words for a Powerful Vocabulary
4. Successories
I. Reading: Why Set Goals?
Why set goals? Having a clear direction for your future and a picture of what you plan to do is
extremely important for maintaining a positive attitude. Having clear goals is a key to creating and
maintaining a positive mindset even when “things get tough.”
Qualities of Goals
In order for goals to be useful, they need to have the following qualities:
The goals that you set for yourself must be based on your values and beliefs.
No one else can choose goals for you. Others can make suggestions, but you must “own” your
goals for them to be useful.
You must decide what you want to achieve.
7
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 2
Life Lesson: Chinese Proverb
Goal Setting and Planning
In this unit, you will be focusing on goal setting and planning. In order to set realistic goals for yourself, you must first have a clear
understanding of what is important to you.
You will also begin planning ahead for your Unit 8 project by setting up an interview with a professional in your chosen field.
Goal Setting
In Unit 7 you investigate the power of setting goals. You seek to recognize the importance of goal setting and actually apply this
S.M.A.R.T. concept to your Unit 7 interview with completion and submission of your project in Unit 8. Goal setting will assist you and
motivate you to reach for success.
Why is Goal Setting Important?
Imagine you decide to build a house. You do not bother with setting any goals for its completion. Wow. What a mess. Imagine you want
to be a doctor when you grow up, but never thought you needed to take a science class in high school, or did not even plan on going to
college.
Goals motivate us.
Goals stimulate your creativity. You use one of the best creative words possible — you visualize. When you engage in visualization,
you are on the top step of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. You are fully engaged in critical thinking. Without goals, you will not achieve that
visualization.
Goals guide you.
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 3
Goals are set to lead you as you move from beginning to end. They carry you along your way.
Goals inspire you.
Goals help you to recognize that you are the creator of your own stories. You can achieve anything that you want to achieve with the
inspiration you will get from goal setting. You will take things one step at a time and with each step you feel the power of completion.
Goals challenge you.
If not for the challenge involved in accomplishing a goal, you would not get past the first step. Goals do not have to be extremely hard to
reach, and they should not be too simple either, as there is no challenge in that. You reach when you set goals. You want that object,
job, or future that is just out of reach.
Goals empower you.
To empower others and yourself in positive ways is the greatest accomplishment. To feel the inner strength and conviction of
empowerment as you achieve the goals that you set is a rewarding experience — a truly intrinsic reward. Setting goals brings you
closer and closer to your ultimate destination.
In this unit, you will focus on goal setting and planning. Remember you want your goals to be realistic and achievable. There are many
components of goal setting to consider as you begin to enhance this process for your own growth and success.
What kind of goals can you set?
Let’s consider the different areas of life as suggested by Mindtools.com in their Goal Setting Toolkit.
Artistic
Attitude
Career
Education
Family
Financial
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 4
Physical
Pleasure
Public Service
What are some of the questions you might ask yourself in reference to these different areas? You might say you want to be more
physically fit? You might say you want to go on vacation to Disney World next summer? How about asking what you can do to make the
world a better place? What do you want to be when you grow up? How’s your attitude? Are you hungry for learning? Do you want to
earn more money? You could go on and on setting goals in any of these areas.
Therefore, you should choose to be goal setters. Why? How are goal setters different than people who do not think about their future
and their desires?
Goal Setters
Studies have shown that people who set goals for themselves are more likely to:
• Suffer less stress and anxiety
• Concentrate and remember better
• Demonstrate greater self-confidence
• Perform better and achieve more
• Are happier and more satisfied
So now that you see a strong purpose for goal-setting with results that help deliver balance, contentment and more desire to “grow”
forward, take some time to write down, to brainstorm, what you would like to see happen in the various compartments of your life. Get
your thoughts flowing, what do you hope to accomplish in the near future? How about in the distant future?
Relationship with Time
Most people have dreams and goals for various aspects of their lives. You can have personal, educational, professional, financial, and
community-service based goals.
The length of time you have to achieve your goals is important in determining how you are able to approach them.
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 5
Short Term/Long Term Goals
Short-term goals are generally those that are attainable within a short time (days, weeks, or months). Examples might be to lose weight,
to get a new computer, or to ask for a promotion at your current job. You need to plan how to attain these goals, but can see the results
soon.
Long-term goals are those that may take years to complete. Starting your own business or saving enough money for retirement are
examples of long-term goals; to accomplish these, you need to think and plan well ahead.
Your degree program is likely to fit in between those periods. Although you are working on your degree now, you will be in school for
several terms to learn the things you need for your career. Your Kaplan University degree is an important stepping stone towards your
long-term goals.
Being Realistic: Performance vs. Outcome
There are two basic kinds of goals, performance and outcome. Outcome goals are those that concentrate on the end result: Did you get
the job? Did you invent something new? Did you complete the task?
Performance goals, on the other hand, concentrate on the path leading you to the result. Even if you did not get the job, you put your
resume together and practiced interviewing. Even if you did not invent something new, you discovered small things that could be put to
use later. Even if you did not complete the task, some of the steps you took accomplished something of value. Performance goals are
much more realistic than outcome goals and provide you with more control.
Getting To Where You Want to Go
How can you get to where you want to go without knowing the destination or how to get there? That would be like getting into your car
and just driving without a purpose. If you do not know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.
In order to learn, grow, and change, you need to set goals for yourself. It is very important that your goals be realistic enough for you to
achieve them.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Help You Stay on Course
Every goal you plan, whether short, intermediate or long-term should be S.M.A.R.T. It should be specific, measurable, action-oriented,
realistic, and timed.
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 6
There are tips to setting goals that will enhance each goal you set out to achieve. These Mindtools tips will surely help to make your
S.M.A.R.T. goals come to fruition.
Set priorities
When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct
your attention to the most important ones.
Write it down
When you write your goals down, it gives them more strength and you more perseverance.
Keep operational goals small
Keep the low-level goals you are working toward small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making
progress toward it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more opportunities for reward. Derive today’s goals from large ones.
Set performance goals, not outcome goals
Take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. There is nothing more disappointing than failing to achieve a
goal for reasons beyond your control.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Click on a button below to learn more about S.M.A.R.T. goals.
S.M.A.R.T.
[S] Specific
What do you really want to accomplish? Your goal needs to be specific enough to be able to determine what actions are required to
achieve the desired result.
S.M.A.R.T.
[M] Measurable
How will you know you have reached your goal — what marker or milestone will identify success? Remember that performance goals
will provide better control than outcome goals, so it is best to measure the steps along the route to your destination.
S.M.A.R.T.
[A] Action-oriented
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 7
What exactly will you do (what verbs can you use?) to reach your goal? You will need to take a pro-active stance. Some sources say
“A” stands for “Aggressive,” or working with purpose and diligence towards your goal.
S.M.A.R.T.
[R] Realistic
A goal must be achievable. Have you researched it enough to know that it is possible? Do you know someone else who has
accomplished this goal? Goals set too high may be discouraging, but setting the bar too low will not provide motivation.
S.M.A.R.T.
[T] Timed
Each goal must have some sort of deadline. Some flexibility may be necessary, but deadlines help keep you motivated and focused
towards completing your goals.
Five Principles of Goal Setting with help from Mindtools
Clarity — make your statements clear and easy to “see” and understand.
Challenge — your goals should challenge you to succeed. They are meant to be motivational. Are they important to you? How badly
do you want to see that success?
Commitment — be committed to what you say you want and what you want to achieve. Keep it in your mind’s eye. Move consistently
toward its completion. Write down why this is a valuable goal to you.
Feedback or Revision — it is important to monitor success through all steps of
S.M.A.R.T. goals. There are points when changes to wording or timing may be necessary. Understanding the value of revisiting the
written word often helps to keep you on course.
Be sure to investigate and research further on goal setting and especially on S.M.A.R.T. goals. You will find great information on both
the Mindtools website and many others. Enjoy learning about and practicing S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals as you continue with the other
segments of Unit 7.
Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 8
Networking
Networking is another stepping stone to taking control of your goals for your future. Take a Web Fieldtrip to learn more about building a
personal network.
Go to http://workbloom.com/networking-center.aspx and review the home page as well as the links to Networking Basics and
Networking Tips.
Consider who the people are that you would want to have in your own personal network. The person you chose for the interview is very
likely to be someone who will join your network. Consider the information you learn from this fieldtrip as you prepare to interview with a
profession from your field.
II. Challenge Activity
S. M. A. R. T. goals are an excellent way to keep on track and achieve success; however…
What happens when you actually one up the S. M. A. R. T. goals and go for the even S. M. A. R. T. E. R. goals? This site will enhance
your learning and application of creativity. Do not forget to memorize the acronym and each of its letter meanings. Who can you inspire
with your newfound knowledge?
http://www.achieve-goal-setting-success.com/smart-goal.html
Apply the learning tools and information to your goal setting. The more frequently you use the strategy, the easier it will be to use more
frequently. Continue to make connections as you move from unit to unit. Search for the strategies that you find most helpful to your
learning and thinking processes. Begin to use them over and over because through repetition you establish habits of success. Do not
forget, you may always share your thoughts in Virtual Office or Discussion Board.
III. Powerful Words for a POWERFUL Vocabulary – 7 words in 7 Days
Effective communication is not only an essential academic strategy; it is fast becoming one of the top skills employers are looking for as
they screen potential employees. However, how do you become an effective communicator? The answer to this question is actually
quite simple, yet it involves some serious commitment on your part. You have to practice and make a firm commitment to equipping
yourself with the many different “tools” that you will need in order to express your ideas clearly and effectively in both written and
spoken communication. This is where a powerful vocabulary can make a world of difference for you because words are the building
blocks of communication. Therefore, the more words you are able to use, the more creative, convincing and powerful you will be as a
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 9
communicator. What if you could add just one new word to your vocabulary each day? Think about the progress you would make in a
week, a month, or even an entire year.
Vocabulary Enrichment Resources
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day
http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
Activity: Make your own flashcards: http://quizlet.com/
Unit 7 Vocabulary Words
Complete the vocabulary activities here
http://www.studymate.com?id=3fpMZBNId
catalyst – an agent of change; a person or thing that causes change
abstruse – difficult to comprehend; obscure
contentious – argumentative; combative; quarrelsome
supercilious – disdainful; characterized by haughty scorn
aberrant – deviating from normal or correct
sanctimony – self-righteousness; hypocritical
obfuscate – to make obscure or unclear
CS113 Unit 7 Reading page 10
IV. Successories
The information provided in the Successories area is designed to provide you with valuable tips, skills, and resources—all related to
your ongoing success here at Kaplan and beyond.
This week, please take time to listen to the networking Seminar and review the following articles related to informational interviewing:
Networking for Results Seminar from KU Career Resources http://khe.acrobat.com/p27719794/
What is an Informational Interview and How Can it Help Your Career?
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/infointerviews/a/infointerview.htm
Informational Interviewing Tutorial
http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html
How Does an Informational Interview Work? http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-481-Getting-Ahead-How-Does-an-
Informational-Interview-Work/?cbsid=4470ab2463ca48089d0f0123520f392c-330537769-w2-6&ArticleID=481&cbRecursionCnt=2
