This activity is from Friends for Youth's Mentoring Journal, available to purchase on our website, www.mentoringinstitute.org

1. S
Now that you have gotten to know each other more, it’s time to set goals for yourself and your friendship. Setting goals is important;
it helps you reflect on your values and concentrate on making decisions. By doing this, you can get where you want to go faster and
easier. Setting goals also builds your confidence: you’ll feel good about yourself when you accomplish what you set out to do.
Goals are something you want to do: making the Objectives are the many steps you need to take to accom-
varsity football team, going to college, getting a job. plish those goals: keeping up a grade point average and stay-
They usually take more time to accomplish, maybe a ing focused at practice, studying hard and exploring options
year or more. early to find the right college, or researching and interviewing
at different companies to get the job. You can accomplish your
objectives within days, weeks, or months.
Not all goals have to be about school; you can also set ...
creativity goals Is there something creative in art, music, dance, writing, or drama you would like to explore
through a class or just by practicing on your own?
relationship goals Would you like better or different relationships with your parents, siblings, or friends?
spiritual goals Would you like to see some kind of spiritual growth or change in your life?
health and fitness goals Is there a physical activity you’d like to try or become better at?
work goals In what direction do you see yourself heading for a future career?
friendship goals What would you like you and your friend to accomplish over the next nine months?
In the space below, write out goals for as many areas as you would like.
Educational
Creativity
Relational
Spiritual
Health and Fitness
Work
Friendship
40 mentoring journal

2. Now it’s time to For this exercise, you’ll look at both qualities needed and actions needed to be successful. Choose
your three most important goals and, as you read through each goal, ask yourself, “What qualities
S
figure out how do I need to have to make this happen?” and “What actions do I need to take to make this happen?”
you’re going to Objectives work best when they are...
S pecif ic: do you know what exactly needs to happen?
successfully M easurable: is there a way to tell that something changed?
accomplish these A ttainable: is this likely to happen, or do you need to break it down into smaller steps?
R esult-oriented : will it really help you attain your goal?
T ime-limited: what is the due date in getting it done?
by writing out your In the targets below, write each goal in the
center circle, write the qualities needed in the
Don’t forget that you can change your goals!
As time passes, you may become interested in
objectives. middle ring, then write the actions neces-
sary to accomplish the goal in the outer ring.
another area or decide to head in a different
direction, but you will have the experience of
For example, if your goal is to make the varsity completing objectives to help you reach your
football team, you may need qualities like new goal.
determination, focus during practice to follow As you add to or change your Activity Idea List
the coach’s directions, physical strength, a on the next page, think about your goals and
competitive spirit, or a love of the game. Ac- objectives you set here—what kinds of activities
tions you might take may include keeping up would help you accomplish your objectives and
your grade point average, making sure you have contribute to completing your goals? It might
time to do your homework before or after prac- be 30 minutes of homework or reading at the
tice, practicing on your own whenever you can, beginning of every activity, being physically ac-
or talking to your coach if you need help. tive during activities, or visiting different places
where you might like to work.
GOALS
1st
2nd quarter 41