Goals

Xena's goal is to defeat her enemy. She prepares for success by keeping her equipment in good condition, specifically, she sharpens her sword. Then she measures how fast she can run in 10 seconds, and if she isn't fast enough, she sets herself a slightly increased distance as a realistic target. She needs to do this as she needs to be perfectly prepared to face life and death battles. You might not have to face anything as extreme, but you may have to conquer a few challenges of your own as you move through each year of English at high school Have you set goals for yourself for this year? Try to set some goals for yourself for this year, if you haven't already done so. You should also consider what your ultimate goal might be, that is what are you striving for, after you leave school one day? How might your work in English impact on that?

The importance of goal setting is summed up in this saying: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” If you don’t plan what you want to attain and how you propose to achieve it, then you will fail to recognise opportunities and threats along the way, as you proceed through the school year. A good acronym to use to establish goals is SMART: S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Timely ==I encourage you to pick up a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the goals you want to reach. Look at each goal and evaluate it. Make any changes necessary to ensure it meets the criteria for a SMART goal.==

Have a look at this link for an inspirational story about a man who persisted in pursuing his goals - [|www.**youtube**.com/watch?v=_XL4CCMO01c]