Goal Setting

Have you ever wanted to do something super exciting, like learning to ride your bike without any wobbles or building the tallest block tower in the whole world. You can feel a little buzz inside you, a spark that makes you want to try and try again. It feels like a secret mission just for you. Well, I am that little spark. I am the secret power that helps turn your big wishes into amazing things you have actually done. I help you say, 'I did it.'. My name is Goal Setting.

I have been around for a very, very long time, even before people had a special name for me. If you travel way back in time to a place called Ancient Greece, you would meet wise thinkers. One of them, a philosopher named Aristotle who lived in the 4th century BCE, talked a lot about having a purpose, which is like having a big reason for doing things. For thousands of years, people used my power to achieve incredible things. They used me to build giant, strong castles that touched the sky, to sail ships across huge, mysterious oceans to find new lands, and to create beautiful art. I was the silent partner helping them plan and work toward their dreams.

For a long while, people just used me without thinking too much about how I worked. Then, much more recently, smart people called scientists started to study my magic. In the 1960s, a man named Dr. Edwin A. Locke looked very closely at how I help people succeed. He discovered my superpowers. He found out that I work best when I am super clear and specific. It is better to say, 'I will run to that big oak tree,' than just, 'I will run for a little bit.'. Dr. Locke also learned that I love a good challenge. I work best when you have to stretch a little, like reaching for a shiny, ripe apple at the top of a tree. The goal should be tricky, but not so tricky that you can't reach it if you really try.

Today, I am everywhere, helping all sorts of people. I help astronauts plan their missions to the moon and stars, breaking their huge trip into tiny, safe steps. I also help kids just like you. When you save your allowance money week after week to buy a special toy, that's me helping you. I am the power that turns a big dream into a simple plan. First this, then that, then hooray, you did it. Think of me as your personal adventure partner. We can do anything together if we just plan the steps. So, what should our next amazing goal be.