Goal Setting Exercise

Leslie Dashew

December 2, 2025

Thinking about your goals in the context of three different time horizons provides a powerful look into what you most want to accomplish.

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Overview

In this goal setting exercise you will think about and write down your long-term, short-term, and more pressing goals.  When you compare the lists, you will notice what is most important to you.  Your final list will help you decide how to use your time, channel your energy, and set priorities.  

Doing this exercise in concert with a Values exercise and developing your Personal Statement of Purpose, will provide a powerful snapshot of matters most to you.For this exercise you will look at your life from the perspectives of a variety of people on whom you’ve had a positive impact. Your end result will be one sentence that is relevant to every role you play, i.e., a parent, a professional, a spouse, a citizen, etc. It should make you feel a little self-conscious or even a little presumptuous. When you have taken the step of defining the purpose of your life you are doing something that many people never even consider.

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