Goal Setting

Have you ever dreamed of building the world's most amazing pillow fort, mastering a tricky video game level, or learning how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie? That little spark inside you, the one that whispers, 'I want to do that!'—that's where I come in. I am the tingle of excitement you feel when you decide on an adventure. I am the invisible map you draw in your mind, with a big star marking the spot that says, 'You are here,' and another, even bigger star that says, 'This is where I’m going!'. I don’t have a shape or a color, but you can feel me when you decide to try something new, something exciting, or even something a little bit hard. I help turn a wish into a plan. Hello. I am Goal Setting, and I am your personal guide for turning 'I wish' into 'I did it!'.

For thousands of years, people have known me, even if they didn't call me by my name. Way back in Ancient Greece, around the 4th century BCE, a famous philosopher named Aristotle talked about having a 'telos,' which is a fancy word for a purpose or an end. He believed that every action people take is to achieve some kind of good, which is just another way of saying they had a goal. For a long, long time, I was just a feeling people understood. But in the 20th century, people started to study me like a science. In 1954, a business expert named Peter Drucker introduced an idea he called 'Management by Objectives.'. It meant that when people at work agreed on a specific target, they worked better and were happier. He showed everyone that I could help whole teams succeed. Then, in the 1960s, a psychologist named Dr. Edwin A. Locke got really curious about how I work. He performed many studies and, on the 1st of May, 1968, he published a famous paper explaining that setting specific and challenging goals is like a superpower for motivation. He proved that just saying 'do your best' isn't nearly as powerful as saying, 'I will read five chapters by Friday.'. He and his partner, Dr. Gary P. Latham, showed the world that I am a reliable tool anyone can use to achieve amazing things.

Today, I am everywhere. I am with athletes training for the Olympics, with scientists working to discover new medicines, and with astronauts planning a trip to Mars. But most importantly, I am here for you. I’m there when you decide to save your allowance for a new bike, practice your spelling words for a test, or learn all the lyrics to your favorite song. I help you break big, scary dreams into small, friendly steps. Each step you take is a little victory, and I am there to cheer you on. I give you focus when things get distracting and the confidence to keep going when things get tough. I show you how powerful you truly are. So the next time you feel that spark of a new idea, remember me. I'm Goal Setting, and I’ll be your partner on the incredible journey of making your dreams come true. What adventure will we go on together next?