Setting goals helps young people put action behind their ideas. Goals give them something to work toward, a reason to stay motivated, and something to celebrate when they accomplish their goal! These skills will serve them well personally, in school, and when they enter the workforce.

And here’s the deal: setting goals isn’t just about creating a list of things to do and checking them off. It’s empowering independence. It’s a lesson in all the skills they need for a positive future – self-awareness, developing an identity, creating a value system, decision-making, finding their own passion and purpose, and the ability to chart their own course in life!

Why is it Important for Teens and Young Adults to Set Goals?

Just like adults throughout life, there are many great reasons for young people to set goals. Having no goals is like going on vacation without knowing where you are going.

Setting goals gives young people a clear direction so that they do not wander aimlessly. Having a goal gives young people confidence and self-determination to get where they are going.

4 Benefits of Goal Setting

Identity Development

Young people begin to think about what they are interested in accomplishing, evaluate their own strengths and interests, reflect on what they value and who they are (self-awareness and self-discovery).

Sense of Purpose

Goal setting helps young people to begin to think about their passions and purpose. In thinking about what they want to accomplish, goal setting gives young people a reason to think about what is important to them and what they might want to accomplish or be remembered for. In our Champions for Teens curriculum, goal setting includes reflecting on what they want to be in their future, and what would make life in their future meaningful.

Having a sense of purpose means being dedicated to something that is meaningful to you but also makes a difference to something bigger than yourself. People with a strong sense of life purpose are likely to be happier, less stressed, and more motivated. And since they really care about what they are working towards, studying and homework are more meaningful, they perform better at school, like their jobs more, and even have longer lives! 

Life Skills

When young people plan and set goals, they are getting a crash course in key life skills. They will understand and develop a work ethic, learn what motivates them, figure out what they don’t know yet and how they will get to know it, learn how to reach out for help and support, learn time management skills, how to break down and large task into smaller tasks, and self-determination skills. All of which will steer the way to immediate success skills and future accomplishments.

Growth Mindset

Setting goals is a chance to embrace a growth mindset. It’s a chance to reframe how you think about challenges and failures. This mindset flips the way you think about failures and imperfections to think of them as opportunities for growth and development. 

I am best friends with my failures. 

I mean, what do we learn when everything is going our way?? Not much?? Our challenges are our greatest teacher. The worst thing I can do is to think “I had a shot and I’m done” and then give up – or better, I can learn from it, embrace it, and own it. 

Remember that whatever it is you are doing, if it were easy everyone would do it. So, when in the process of achieving a goal there is a setback, this is where the good stuff happens because you can choose to have the courage to go around, under, or over that challenge to become better and stronger.

“Courage is not the lack of fear, courage is doing it even though you are afraid”.

Growth mindset means that you can grow your intelligence and skills. That with dedication and effort we can develop our abilities. The opposite is called a fixed mindset, and that is the belief that how smart we are can not change and it just is what it is. Most people are not completely one or the other but are somewhere in between.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Setting goals is such an important process for young people to become skilled at. Goals help young people make a plan and go after it, building skills that will last a lifetime. Most students enjoy the process and feel empowered by learning how to plan and set goals and work to accomplish them. 

Here’s to encouraging goals and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead!

🎉Come back to this space for more on finding your purpose, growth mindset, lifelong learning, and goal planning! All of these topics are big topics and there is so much more! 

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