Goals Analysis

Goals Analysis

I was watching a TV commercial in 1974 of a US Navy Destroyer cutting through the water. The caption for that commercial was "Navy. It's not just a job it's an Adventure" That caught my attention and I realized that I had no job and no future at this point in my life. I had no dreams, no ambitions, no goals and that commercial was about to change all of that. That was the start of me setting my life changing goals. Goal setting is a powerful exercise. When you write down your plans, they have a way of becoming a reality.

"Goal setting is actually a formal process for personal planning. By setting your goals on a routine basis (at the start of the year, every month, etc.), you propel yourself closer to achieving these goals." (Fowler, 2004) With that thought in mind I have set my first educational goal as a long term goal to earn a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree. This will open up my ability to strive for a career in my field of passion of computers. To overcome the issue of time management I have dedicated my self to using my Yahoo calendar and the calendar in Outlook Express more in-depth and more up to date than in the past. I will print out these calendars and post them on my bulletin board in my home office where I can reference and utilize them properly. My second educational goal is to complete every course for the University of Phoenix BSIT requirements with the best possible score for each class. I have the same issue of time management in relation to this goal. For this problem I have decided to create a semester (course) calendar with co-curricular activities so I can concentrate on completing my requirements for each course without being distracted with personal scheduling conflicts. My third and final educational goal is to complete the requirements for earning a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). This is considered one of my long, long range goals. The only issue related to this goal is that I don't know what is required for this certification. I'm sure with obtaining the requirements from a web source I can overcome this goal with no problem.

The next set of goal setting importance is my personal goals with the first being to over come the obstacles associated with returning to school. Like before, time management and organizational discipline will be my biggest issue to overcome. "Taking control of your time is one of the most valuable skills you can acquire." (German, 2001). This is the reason I've decided to post and update my bulletin board calendar weekly for this problem. My second personal goal is to take an online speed reading course to improve my study skills as soon as possible. From past experience with this goal, the issue will be time and cost. If it is not too expensive then I will dedicate at least twice a week to focus on speed reading as long as the price is right. (Sounds like Bob Barker.) For my next and last goal will be to stop smoking again (for good this time) before January 01, 2006. The issue with this goal is much more mental than all of the others put together. I will have to overcome the addiction again and get a handle on stress. The last time I quit smoking the nicotine patch was effective. I will dedicate to obtaining the patch system and make it last this time. As for stress management the only thing I can think of to overcome this is issue is to locate sources for stress management.

My last sets of goals are my professional goals and the first one is to complete my local union requirements for completing my foreman certification