It has been 28 years since I decided to become a coach. Little did I know that I would be where I am today. To be completely honest, I did not set goals to help me get here. And I was unsure what “here” was at the time. I just knew that there were too many students who were misunderstood and deserved to be heard, and I wanted to find a way to help them.
Coaches are trained to help clients identify, plan, and reach their goals. Setting reasonable, attainable goals and chunking the steps for clarity and accountability has worked well for most of my neurodivergent clients. The JST Coaching Model and related research include goal setting to increase student success.
Encouraging clients to explore these questions can ignite a transformative journey, setting the tone for a year of purpose and progress.
According to Positive Psychology
- Goal setting boosts focus, persistence, and motivation.
- Clear goals enhance performance, satisfaction, and well-being.
- Measurable goals enable progress tracking and accountability.
Not everyone is motivated by goals. I have worked with students and adults who find the goal setting process stressful and constraining. I recently read an article, The Dark Side of Goal Setting., and appreciated this key takeaway:
“The key to doing our best work is time and space to apply our attention. When under pressure to deliver, we tend to leave out important aspects. Take more time and review your assumptions, asking yourself: what am I missing here? If you’re reporting to a superior, try to appeal to their sense of fairness and request more time to deliver your best job. If that’s impossible, you may need to stand back from the project—better than being set up for failure before you even start.”
While goal setting is beneficial and part of my coaching process, I admit that I don’t set goals for myself on a regular basis. One of my team members visited my office over the holidays and looked at my white board. On the board were two words “2025 Plan” – that’s all. She was surprised, thinking that I would have the year planned out. We laughed. I assured her that there was a plan, recalling the Yiddish quote, “Man plans, and G-d laughs.” I have learned that shifting gears to revamp our plans is part of life.
The bottom line is that goal setting works for some and not others. And when we give ourselves permission to scrap or revise our goals, we have the opportunity to get closer to what we really want in our lives. I was “supposed to” be a lawyer specializing in mental health law. Obviously, that did not happen. And it’s OK. I am where I was meant to be and know clearly where “here” is.
I invite you to picture your life beyond your goals. What do you want your life to look like? How will your goals help you get there? How might those goals hinder your motivation and progress? “Are you there yet” or do you not quite know where there is?
Make time to ponder these questions and when you are ready for a partner to help you set, or not set, goals, hire a coach!