Goals

The Life Story Challenge

Overview Video

This discussion will focus on identifying what you want to accomplish in your life and what steps you can take to reach those goals. In this discussion, each person will have the opportunity to share their vision for the future and the goals they want to accomplish.

Pre-Discussion Preparation

We have included the following activities to help you prepare for the discussion: 

  • You may want to read the discussion questions and contemplate your answers to them in preparation for the upcoming conversation with your group members. 

  • Try to come up with at least three statements that answer the question, “What do I want to accomplish?” This question is intentionally broad. Every person has different values, passions, and strengths that will dictate what they want to achieve, but some universal categories that you may want to consider when answering this question are financial, professional, spiritual, physical, recreational, and intellectual goals. If you want additional insight into identifying and understanding what you want to accomplish in the future, we have included a few questions that may help:

    • What categories in your life do you feel need the most improvement (e.g., financial, professional, spiritual, physical, recreational, and intellectual)?

    • What categories make you the most excited to devote your time and effort toward?

    • You may find it helpful to think of goals in terms of time periods. What do you want to accomplish this month? In one year? In five years? In ten?

    • What are your priorities?

    • What do you want more of in your life?

Discussion Questions

Below are a series of questions that may help facilitate your discussion. There is no need to answer every question; instead, feel free to focus on the questions that members of your group seem most excited about.

  • How can you tell if a goal will be meaningful to you and help give you the life you want?

  • How do you define success? What makes a successful life?

  • What areas of your life are the most meaningful to you? What do you want those areas to look like in the future?

  • What are the benefits of setting short- and long-term goals? How can they work together to help you achieve the future you want?

  • How can you make working toward a goal more enjoyable?

Post-Discussion Activities

Below are two activities that you can complete after the discussion to deepen your learning and to prepare you to write your life story: 

  • Write a paragraph or two describing what you want to accomplish in your life. Try to include as many details as you can.  

  • Record any important takeaways from both your own thoughts and those shared by others during the discussion.

Overview Video Research

  1. Epton, T., Currie, S., & Armitage, C.J. (2017). Unique effects of setting goals on behavior change: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(12), 1182–1198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000260

  2. Matthews, G. (2011). Study backs up strategies for achieving goals. Dominican University. https://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/study-highlights-strategies-for-achieving-goals

  3. Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4), 843–863. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.114.4.843

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