Ave Altius

Ave Altius Writing Sample “How goal setting can change a person’s trajectory and lead them to a higher level of productivity” A goal as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “the end toward which effort is directed.” A goal is a specific objective that someone is trying to reach, and it can be short term and straightforward, like finishing a term paper by noon on Friday, or long term and somewhat more complicated such as becoming the president of a country in 10 years. A goal is something that we desire, and in order to ensure that we are able to achieve it, it helps to define what it is that we want to work towards, and then establish how we can work towards it in small steps every day. The University of Kansas Community Tool Box outlines that for an organization, setting vision and mission statements are important because they help an organization “focus on what is really important,” inspires people knowing what the future they are working towards is, and provides a basis for other aspects of work that must be done to work towards the vision and mission. I believe that the same can be applied to individuals and their goals. A lifetime or long term goal is your mission or vision, and clearly establishing what that is can give you motivation towards achieving it. It can also help you to focus your time and resources in the right place in order to better achieve your goals (Personal Goal Setting). Achieving a long term goal does not happen overnight, it takes purposeful dedication towards accomplishing the small tasks that lead to the bigger goal. Diverging for a moment into psychology, Emmons (2005) suggests that “The possession of and progression toward important life goals are essential for long-term well-being.” Emmons argues that the psychological well-being of an individual depends upon whether or not they set goals and take steps towards achieving them. Goals, according to Emmons, give meaning to an individual’s life, and having meaning leads to greater psychological health. Based on his research, it seems logical to conclude that setting goals is good for personal productivity. Umstot et al.’s (1976) study gives concrete evidence to the idea that goals lead to higher productivity, however, so we need not depend on this simple logical conclusion. In a study of workers Umstot et al. found that productivity was directly related to goal setting. Workers who had been given definite goals to work towards had higher productivity than those who were not given goals. It is not far-fetched to conclude that having goals gives an individual something tangible to work towards, thereby increasing their productivity and motivation. We have established that setting goals is important, and once a broad vision or long term life goal is in place, the next step comes in setting objectives which are the specific actions that lead towards the completion of the long term goal (Community Tool Box). The objectives can be seen as short term goals that need to be accomplished and which should contain time specific deadlines. Short-term goals break down the long term goal into bite size, manageable pieces that can be completed within a day, a week, or a month, while still having relevance to the ultimate long term goal. Having small, measurable goals ensures that the long term goal is completed one step at a time, without decreasing personal motivation. According to Lunenburg (2011), when an individual is able to accomplish a goal they have set, it “can lead to satisfaction and further motivation.” Setting a goal also gives a standard toward which you can work and therefore increases the effort you have to extend to complete it. When you outline specific short term goals to reach your long term goal, you have greater productivity and a higher chance of attaining your long term goal since you maintain your motivation throughout the process. To demonstrate the importance of goal setting in the long and short term, let’s imagine that your goal is to become fluent in French through self-study. You have established a personal timetable of two years in which to study the language, and at the end of this two year period you will take the official French Proficiency exam. The French Language Proficiency Level Scale has 6 levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2). At the end of the two year study period, your goal is to pass the exam for level C2. Figure 1 displays an example of goals that can be set in the long and short term to achieve the ultimate goal of French proficiency. The two year goal in the example is long term and can seem far into the future and difficult to tackle for anyone wishing to achieve it. However, when the long term objective is put into a daily objective of one hour of study, and a monthly objective of grammatical concepts, achieving the long term goal becomes easier and seems more attainable. Motivation is also not lost, because as per Lunenburg’s theory, accomplishing the daily tasks can lead to motivation to keep going forward. The example also includes a goal to be achieved every six months, further simplifying the overall objective, and providing clearly measurable results. Conclusion Setting a clear long term goal is important because it gives an individual something to look forward to in the future, gives meaning to their lives and promotes psychological well-being. Setting goals, both long and short-term, can lead to greater productivity when what needs to be achieved is clearly outlined and framed within time periods. Knowing what you want to do must be applied systematically into a format for how you can do it that can motivate you to move forward. Resources Community Tool Box. University of Kansas. Accessed 6/21/2017 from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/vision-mission-statements/main Definition of goal. Merriam Webster. Accessed 6/21/2017 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goal Emmons, Robert A. (2005). Striving for the sacred: Personal goals, life meaning and religion. Journal of Social Issues 61(4): 713-745. Lunenburg, Fred C. (2011). Goal-setting theory of motivation. International Journal of Management, Business and Administration 15(1). Personal Goal Setting: Planning to live life your way. Mindtools: Essential Skills for an Excellent Career. Accessed 6/21/2017 from https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html?route=article/page6.htm Umstot, Dennis D., Bell Jr., Cecil H., Mitchell, Terence R. (1976). Effects of job enrichment and task goals on satisfaction and productivity: Implications for job design. Journal of Applied Psychology 61(4): 379-394.