5 ways to achieve your goals examples essay

How To Write A Powerful Essay On Achieving Goals (+ Example)

Goal setting is a useful strategy to get the most out of life and set yourself up for success. However, there are many things to remember regarding proper goal setting and achievement. When writing a blm argumentative essay , it’s important to provide context on the history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the issues it seeks to address. This can help the reader understand the significance of the essay’s thesis and arguments. Let’s get to grips with the process of goal setting and come up with a powerful essay on achieving goals.

Structuring Your Essay on Achieving Goals:

How to write an introduction, how to write the main body of your essay.

There should be a minimum of three paragraphs in your essay. Each one is a ‘mini-essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each should include:

How to Write a Conclusion

Example of an essay about achieving your goals.

So, let’s put all this information together and check an example essay on achieving goals: Effective Methods to Increase the Likelihood of Goal Achievement Achieving goals can be extremely rewarding and result in a more satisfying and successful life. Many people set goals yet cannot achieve them. However, there are ways to avoid or reduce the likelihood of missing the mark. By ensuring that goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), using visualization techniques, and rewarding goal attainment, the chances of success increase. First, ensure your goals are SMART. This means that goals should be specific and measurable in terms of outcomes, e.g., test scores . Goals should be achievable and realistic to the person’s capabilities and resources available. Also, a goal should apply to the person’s work, education, hobbies, or interests and include a deadline. If there is no specificity of outcome, there’s no real way to see how someone has improved—or how they might be falling short. And if goals are not SMART, they are more difficult to achieve. Second, by imagining and visualizing the feelings and outcomes of achievement of the goal , the likelihood of high achievement increases. The imagination can be a powerful tool. Imagining the feelings of accomplishment helps to increase self-efficacy and motivation. A Canadian study found that imagery skills moderate the effect of mental practice on self-efficacy. The effects of visualization techniques are valuable in goal achievement. Third, once the goal has been accomplished, a reward is required. Getting a reward for hard work will increasingly motivate an individual to set and achieve the next goal. The offer of a reward gives employees and students an extra boost of motivation. Rewards help the cycle of goal setting and goal achieving to continue. In summary, by ensuring the goals set are SMART, visualizing and rewarding success, goal achievement becomes more likely. Achieving goals is a cyclic process that’s possible to master if the right method is in place.

The Basics of Setting and Achieving Goals

Goals should be specific and free of generalizations, or they are unlikely to get done. Instead of stating that your goal is to improve your English skills, make it more specific by stating that your goal is to learn and use one new word every weekday to boost your English vocabulary.

A goal should be measurable because you need to keep your finger on the pulse and know where you’re at. For instance, a test or assessment score can provide evidence that you have reached your goal.

A goal needs to be possible to achieved. If it’s beyond your capabilities or requires resources you cannot access, then you will set yourself up for failure.

You must set a completion date for your goal. If you do not set a deadline, you may lack the motivation to reach it. Once you have your SMART goal, record it clearly on paper or a mobile device and then visualize the outcome of achieving that goal. Imagine how happy you will feel when you achieve it. This vivid mental imagery will provide you with the extra motivation to go for it. Finally, when you reach your goal, it’s time to celebrate! Reward yourself with a trip, an item you desire, relaxation time with friends, or whatever else that will make you feel happy.

Ready to write an essay about achieving goals?

Hopefully, the information in the article has given you the basics to help you write a powerful essay on achieving goals. I also hope that this article has helped you think about how you can work toward achieving your own goals. There are many great books about the science of goal achievement. I especially recommend ones written by Brian Tracy , as they have helped me a great deal in my pursuit of happiness . You can also create an engaging presentation about achieving goals and objectives using this  goal presentation template . Next up, you may want to explore an ultimate guide to writing expository essays .

Rafal Reyzer

Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

Setting and Achieving Goals Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Setting goals, tips on how to achieve goals.

One of the common things that all human beings have is that there are various goals that they would like to accomplish for themselves. These goals vary from person to person but their achievement brings about great joy to the individual. However, most people today have a tendency of going aimlessly in their quest to achieve their goals.

Young people are especially guilty of this as they set out to create their own paths in life. Aimlessness leads to failure and as such, young people are encouraged to have an aim in their lives and live towards that aim. It is my hope that this talk will empower you on how to live up to your aims and achieve your goals which will result in your success.

The first secret towards achieving goals is having them! Honest self –evaluation can help you set well defined goals to help you be what you want to be in life. As much as you would like to be realistic about setting your goals you should not be afraid to dream and set high goals for yourself.

For example, you may set a goal to have built your own house by the time you are 30years. With your goals in mind always remember that you are responsible for your own life and no one can realize your goals for you. Knowing that will give you the motivation you need to give your life the best shot as you work towards your goals.

Clear strategy would be called for at this point. How do you plan to achieve your goals? What are the stepping stones towards achieving your goals? What are you doing about them? In the goal to build your house, a major stepping stone would establishing a career that will enable you finance your goal. Your priorities must always be set right and give every stepping stone your best since it affects your goals, and of course pat yourself on the back when you succeed each step up it will be a plus on your motivation.

As time passes you should be cautious not to lose focus on your goals especially if we are working towards long term goals. You should hence add in your day to day schedule activities that will help you keep in mind and work towards your goals.

You could have a support group of people you share the same goals with, do a detailed research about your goals, and attend camps, conferences and seminars that will add to your knowledge concerning your goals, and you could even choose a role model whom you can emulate and who can challenge you to achieve your goals. For the house building goal, one could elicit the help of investment planners so as to be gain knowledge on how to realize the dream as well as stay focused.

The greatest enemy to achieving your goals which should be avoided at all costs is discouragement. Many lose their way towards achieving their goals because of this. You should never give in to that yes, you may have limitations in terms of money, skills, time, support and other resources but that is no excuse of not working towards your goals.

Assuming you get to 29years are still a long way from achieving your goal to acquire a house, you should realize that despite the odds, you need to stay focused. You can make adjustments to your goal to suit the reality. Hurdles along the way are common and you should never let your current situation discourage you.

Goals are the cornerstone of success. In conclusion, I encourage you all to prioritize and create time for the most important things in your life and avoid letting useless things overwhelm you. Commit yourself to achieving your goals and you will learn the joy and satisfaction that comes from attaining your purpose in life. Build your life around your goals they will shape who you are at the end of the day. Let your goals define you and bring about great success in your life.

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Essays About Goals: Top 5 Examples Plus 10 Prompts

Goals could be a one-time event or a lifelong growth process. Write effectively with the help of our essays about goals and writing prompts in our guide . 

Having goals helps us have a sense of purpose. We find our determination, discipline , and strategic thinking tested to their limits . The road toward any goal , especially ambitious ones, is full of thorns and spikes. Some walk away and accept that these goals are not destined for them. Some, however, keep pressing forward, determined to achieve these goals. Gaining confidence in writing can help you achieve your goals by putting pen to paper and starting a plan .

5 Essay Examples

1.  are you goal or growth conscious by katherine beneby, 2. how to help an employee figure out their career goals by dorie clark, 3. no goals: why is it so hard to do something for enjoyment’s sake by jenny valentish, 4. get inspired: how four hikers accomplished their 2021 hiking goals by anna roth , 5. does sharing your goals on social media make you more likely to achieve them by kristan russell, 1. my goals in life, 2. travel goals, 3. the goal of forming better study habits, 4. climate goals: are we progressing, 5. importance of fitness goals, 6. fiscal policy goals, 7. failing at your goals, 8. setting lofty vs. light goals, 9. poverty reduction goals, 10. my academic goals.

“The difference between goals and growth is that goals are seasonal, while growth is lifelong. Goals focus on a destination while growth focuses on a journey.”

In this essay, the writer discusses how achieving our goals may be possible if we reframe our minds to think of them as a growth process. This essay enumerates the difficulties of achieving our objectives and offers guidance on what will help put structure in how we formulate our growth plans . You might also be interested in these essays about bad habits .

“It’s not always possible to help the people we supervise identify and work toward their career goals… [S]o when we can assist our employees in getting there, it’s a meaningful way we can make a difference in their lives and their professional success.”

As per our list of topics to write about , this essay looks at how managers must realize their critical roles in the lives of the employees they handle. Their biggest contribution to the development of their employees is helping them achieve their tasks at work while ensuring these victories lead to their broader career goals. You might also be wondering, why write goals down?

“Once, to stave off depression, I set myself the goal -tastic mission of doing something new every day for a year – from flying in a glider to blowing things up – and blogging about it. Right from day one, the sense of focus lifted my mood, and there was frankly no time to overthink.”

In this essay, the writer looks at how atelic activities, or those we do for fun, positively influence our outlook. Our goal -driven world, however, hinders us from seeing the pure joy of doing things without goals. You might be interested in these essays about dream jobs .

“Last year, she set a goal to simply go hiking at all. And she’s thrilled to have made it happen, saying it was one of the best things she could have done for herself and her family during such a challenging year.”

This writer describes points to inspire people to start hiking and to set personal fitness goals. Look no further and turn to the inspiring stories of people who have targeted to hike across states, hike for the first time, hike once a month for health purposes, and hike a hundred miles yearly. For more inspiration, check out these essays about achievement .

“Wellness gurus and fitness bloggers seem to be divided between whether sharing goals on your social media sabotages you or holds you accountable.“

This essay revolves around a nascent study that aims to see if sharing your goals on social media make them more attainable. While initial results show that those who posted made significant progress compared to people who did not post, more questions need to be explored. You might be inspired by these essays about success .

10 Prompts on Essays About Goals

In this essay, delve into your short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. Before anything else, elaborate on what drew you to set these goals. Then, share your action plans to make them a reality. Discuss the obstacles you’ve faced and how you’ve conquered them. 

What is the one destination you dream of? For this essay, daydream about your travel goals. Direct that excitement and write your travel itinerary, the duration of your stay, where you will be staying, and what daring activities you will dare yourself to plunge into. You can also talk about whom you would like to be with when you fulfill your travel goals or if you prefer going solo.

It is a challenge to hit the books when we live in a world with unlimited distractions. In this topic prompt, share effective study habits to help students focus on their studies. One helpful tip, for example, is designing your environment to be conducive to a habit change. In the case of study habits, this means temporarily eliminating access to social media and other digital distractions. Cite more tips and conclude your essay with a few words of motivation.

Under the Paris Agreement , the landmark international agreement to fight climate change, countries must jointly strive to arrest global warming and cap it to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030. The question is: is this goal still on the table? Read recent news articles on how countries are following through on their Paris Treaty pledges. Listen to what environmentalists say about national efforts and tackle what more must be done to attain the climate goals. 

Fitness is a common new year’s resolution but try convincing your readers to start their fitness goals today. First, help your readers explore the right dietary program and workout schedule based on their daily demands. 

Then, underscore the importance of a fitness goal for gaining self-esteem and improving physical and mental health. Entice them with the idea of gaining a new exciting skill from a new workout activity and motivate them to start unlocking the fit version of themselves today. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries recorded ballooning debts as governments spent heavily to fight the pandemic and also support struggling sectors. So first, determine whether your country is in a tight fiscal space. 

The fiscal space assessment framework created by the International Monetary Fund may help you identify the metrics and data to gather. Then, shed light on your government’s fiscal policy goals to address debt while spending in sectors that guarantee an economy’s long-term health, such as education and social services. 

How do people receive failures? Write about people’s attitudes and actions when they fail at their goals. Can people develop depression, and how can they recover from the fall? Try to answer these and share your experience of failing at your goals. 

Ask yourself: How did you move forward after that? Then, share your opinions on whether a failure signifies that it would be best for someone to find a new goal altogether or try again with stronger determination and a better-calculated strategy. 

Which is better: aiming for a lofty goal that opens risks of failure, which many fear, or light goals that might do little in stretching out your potential? Answer this by listing the pros and cons of each. Then help readers strike the optimum balance between a loft or light goal . Cite examples of lofty and light goals to help your readers better differentiate the two.

For this essay, take a deep dive into the poverty reduction efforts of your government. First, give an overview of an ongoing flagship poverty reduction program and uncover its outcomes since its implementation. Read through government reports about the breakthrough goals of the program and which ones are gaining momentum. 

Then, look at the other side of the fence by listening to what critics say about the program. Take note of their laments about bottlenecks in the program and what more can be done to attain poverty reduction goals swiftly. 

Start with a descriptive paragraph detailing your academic goals. Writing about it vividly, as though it is the reality, is a creative way to show readers how much you have played out the scenarios of success in your head while helping your readers fully understand your goals. Then snap back to reality and discuss your action plan to realize these goals.

For related topics, you may check our essays about dreams in life . Don’t forget to proofread your essay with the best grammar checkers .

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5 Ways to Set More Achievable Goals

• Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar
• Kelsey Alpaio

#1 Connect every goal to a “why.”

Setting goals is a meaningful exercise. Still, so many of us struggle to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves. Here are five ways to set more attainable goals:

• Connect your every goal to a “why.” When you spend time understanding the “why” that’s driving your actions, it’s easier to avoid distractions and focus on pursuing your goal.
• Break your goals down. Instead of setting one big goal, break them down into smaller goals that you can accomplish every day.
• Schedule “buffer time” for your goals and increase your estimated deadline by 25%.
• Focus on continuation, not improvement. Embrace all the things you’ve already started and would like to continue or build upon with time.
• Don’t dwell on past failures. Know that it’s normal and everyone goes through a cycle of ups and down.

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Setting goals is a deeply meaningful exercise. Research shows that it motivates us , gives us a sense of purpose, and helps us feel accomplished.

• RR Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar is an associate editor at Ascend.
• KA Kelsey Alpaio is an Associate Editor at Harvard Business Review. kelseyalpaio

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How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

• Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
• What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
• Where do I see myself in ten years?
• What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
• What major will help me reach my goals?
• What skills do I need to reach my goals?
• What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description. 

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

• Example 1  
• Example 2  
• Example 3  

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Sign up for Going Merry today, and upload your career goal essay right to your profile. It’s that easy!

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How Do I Write An Essay About Achieving My Goals?

Introduction.

Writing an essay about achieving your goals can be a powerful exercise in self-reflection and motivation. Whether you are writing for a class assignment, a college application, or simply for personal development, this article will guide you through the process of creating a well-structured and compelling essay on this topic. By breaking down the steps involved and providing helpful tips, you’ll be equipped to express your aspirations, outline an action plan, and highlight the significance of achieving your goals.

Step 1: Set Clear Goals

Achieving your goals starts with clearly defining what you want to accomplish. Take some time to reflect on your aspirations and think about what truly matters to you. Your goals may include academic achievements, career aspirations, personal growth, or any other area of your life that you wish to improve. Ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals). By setting clear goals, you will be able to better articulate your vision in your essay.

Step 2: Plan Your Essay Structure

Before diving into the writing process, it’s essential to plan the structure of your essay. This will ensure that your ideas flow smoothly and logically, engaging the reader from start to finish. Generally, an essay consists of three main parts: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

The Introduction: Begin your essay with a captivating introduction. Grab the reader’s attention with an anecdote, a relevant quote, or a thought-provoking question. Clearly state your goals and the significance they hold for you. Conclude the introduction with a concise thesis statement that presents the main focus of your essay.

Body Paragraphs: The body of your essay offers an opportunity to elaborate on your goals and the steps you are taking or planning to take to achieve them. Divide your body paragraphs based on the subtopics or themes you want to discuss. For each paragraph, present a specific goal, provide relevant details, and explain why it is important to you. Consider incorporating examples, personal experiences, or research to support your statements and make your essay more persuasive.

The Conclusion: Wrap up your essay with a strong conclusion that reinforces the main points you have discussed. Avoid introducing new information here. Instead, highlight the potential impact of achieving your goals and leave the reader with a final thought or call to action.

Step 3: Conduct Research

If your essay requires factual information or expert opinions, conducting research will provide you with valuable insights to enhance your writing. Utilize reputable sources such as scholarly articles, books, or credible websites to gather information that supports your aspirations. When referencing sources, make sure to cite them properly using the appropriate citation style (e.g., MLA, APA).

Step 4: Draft and Revise

Now that you have a plan and have conducted research, begin writing the initial draft of your essay. Start with the body paragraphs, as they contain the core content of your essay. Ensure each paragraph follows a logical flow and connects back to the main focus of your essay.

Once you have completed your draft, take time to review and revise. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. Ensure that your ideas are presented clearly and cohesively. Consider seeking feedback from others, such as teachers, family members, or friends, to gain different perspectives and improve your essay even further.

Step 5: Add Personal Reflection

In addition to presenting your goals and action plans, be sure to include personal reflections throughout your essay. Explain why achieving these goals is meaningful to you and how they align with your values and aspirations. By sharing your personal insights and emotions, you will create a more engaging and authentic essay.

Step 6: Edit and Proofread

Before submitting your essay, it is crucial to edit and proofread your work. Review your essay for any errors, both grammatical and typographical. Ensure that your ideas are coherent and logical, and that your writing flows smoothly. Consider using online grammar checkers or seeking assistance from a professional editor if needed.

Writing an essay about achieving your goals allows you to reflect on your aspirations, establish a concrete plan, and demonstrate your determination to succeed. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create a compelling essay that effectively communicates your goals and motivates both yourself and your readers.

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12 Proven Strategies for Achieving Your Goals in 2024

Goals - we all have them. 

Whether it is getting a promotion at work, graduating top of your class, or creating a family, working towards achieving your goals can help give your life meaning and motivate you to be the best version of yourself. 

That said, you can’t achieve your goals just by wanting them badly enough. 

If you don’t have a strategy in place, chances are you’ll fail to achieve your goals, even if they seem small or easily attainable at a glance. 

So, what are the best strategies for achieving goals and how can you use them to your advantage? 

This is exactly what this article is here for. Read on to learn: 

12 Strategies to Achieve Your Goals

5 benefits of having goals, how to set realistic goals for your work and your life.

And more! Let’s dive in. 

#1. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for five criteria aimed to help you set strong and attainable goals, achieve them within a reasonable time frame, and measure the results. 

George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham developed the acronym, which they published in 1981 in an article titled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives.”  

Although they may have intended these guidelines for business settings, you can actually follow the SMART acronym to set and achieve your goals in any area of your life. 

SMART stands for goals that are: 

• Specific. You want your goals to be as specific as possible. Use questions like who, what, where, when, and why to help you.
• Measurable. Define indicators to help you measure your success (or failure).
• Attainable. Make sure your goals are practical and realistic. A bit further into the article, we’ll give you detailed tips on how to set realistic goals (and why it’s so important).
• Relevant. You want your goals to be in tune with your personality and values. Otherwise, you may wake up one day and understand you’ve been working toward the wrong goal.
• Time-bound. Set a clear timeframe for achieving your goal in order not to postpone it indefinitely.

In a nutshell, having SMART goals consists of getting very detailed about what you want to achieve. In turn, this can increase your chances of success by helping you work smarter instead of harder.   

#2. Create an Action Plan

Having and abiding by an action plan is essential if you want to achieve your goals. 

Let’s assume, for example, that you are a recent graduate whose goal is to write a science fiction novel. This is, without a doubt, a long-term goal that requires daily work and effort to achieve.

Without an action plan in place, you may postpone your writing indefinitely. 

You may get distracted, blame the writer’s block, postpone writing until you’re “inspired,” and before you know it, ten years may pass without writing a single word. 

With a detailed action plan that outlines exactly what you need to do, on the other hand, it will be much easier to follow through with your goal. Your brain won't be overwhelmed by the effort it takes to write a book if you have a concrete plan in place that you will follow day in and day out. 

Here are some steps you can take to define your own action plan: 

• Define your end goal (you can use the SMART method outlined above to do that).
• List all the steps you need to follow.
• Prioritize your tasks and add deadlines for each task.
• Set milestones (e.g. finishing each chapter, proofreading the book, sending it to publishers, etc.).
• Identify any necessary resources. What will it take you to achieve your goal, in terms of time, money, connections, skills, etc.? How many of these resources do you possess and is any of them an obstacle?
• Monitor, evaluate, and update. Once you start working on your action plan, you may notice that you’ve miscalculated certain steps, milestones, or resources. This, however, is nothing to worry about - no one can predict the future. If something like that happens, simply readjust your plans accordingly.

#3. Break Bad Habits 

Do you pull all-nighters when you need to do deep work and end up looking like a zombie for two days in a row? Do you like partying a little too much? 

Or, maybe, you’re one of those people who think multitasking is some sort of superpower ( although it really isn’t ). 

No matter what your bad habits are, it’s important to work hard on fighting them if you want to achieve your goals. 

If your goal is to get promoted at work, for example, but you’re an avid procrastinator who barely finishes your work on time, chances are that your boss will promote someone else. 

Here are some tried-and-tested ways to break your bad habits : 

• Become fully aware of your bad habits (writing them down can help here)
• Visualize yourself overcoming a tempting situation
• Replace bad habits with healthy ones (e.g. partying with exercising)
• Identify your triggers
• Ask a friend for help

We know, we know. Saying “break bad habits” is really easier said than done. There are, however, no shortcuts or hacks here. 95% of the work is going to have to come from you.

#4. Work On Your Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is what makes the difference between an achiever and a dreamer. 

Albert Einstein once said  “genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work” and we couldn’t agree more!

It takes self-discipline to actually sit down and put in the hard work. Most people simply want to enjoy the benefits hard work brings, which is why they get disappointed when they can’t achieve their goals. 

For a self-disciplined person, nothing seems impossible. For someone who lacks discipline, on the other hand, even the easiest and most mundane tasks can seem difficult and a waste of time. They may have big goals but lack the grit to sit down and work for them. 

You can improve your self-discipline by incorporating healthy habits in your life, such as:

• Waking up and starting your day early
• Eating healthy and exercising regularly
• Establishing a sleep routine
• Working a set number of hours daily

#5. Eliminate Distractions

Distractions are, arguably, the number one enemy of productivity and progress. However, our world is filled with distractions, from social media notifications to information overload. 

If you’re constantly distracted from the daily work you need to do to achieve your goals, your progress will get derailed and you’ll get almost nothing done. Be it a noisy TV in the background, your roommates or coworkers, or your social media notifications, it’s important to eliminate distractions if you want to achieve your goals (sooner rather than later). 

Here are some ways you can effectively eliminate distractions and focus on your to-dos: 

• When you’re working on your goals, silence any notifications and alerts that aren’t directly related to the task at hand.
• Use headphones to avoid distracting background noise. If music is also distracting to you, try putting on white noise or nature sounds.
• Go to a coworking space/the library. Seeing others also focused on work is a great way to get into the zone and get things done.
• Leverage productivity apps. To-Doist is a great app for managing your day-to-day to-dos. Similarly, Chrome extensions like StayFocused restrict distracting sites on your laptop, thus helping you stay focused on your work.

#6. Leverage Daily or Monthly Targets

Chances are, some of your goals are long-term. For example, becoming the CEO of a company , buying a house, owning a business, etc. 

Well, such big goals can get very overwhelming, very fast. 

That’s why, to achieve long-term goals, it’s essential to split them up into bite-sized daily goals. Think about what you need to do daily to meet that overarching, future objective.

Say, for example, that your goal is to write a sci-fi novel in the next five years. Some milestones you can set for this goal may be:

• Becoming more knowledgeable about science
• Reading world-famous sci-fi novels
• Improving your writing skills

Based on these milestones, you can set different daily goals for yourself, such as:

• Write 1,000 words a day
• Spend two hours a day reading sci-fi books
• Spend one hour a day reading scientific studies

#7. Avoid Procrastination

Procrastination is something many people struggle with. Heck, 25% of adults even consider it to be a personality trait . 

If you’re one of them, procrastination can seriously get in the way of achieving your goals. Always postponing everything that you need to do until the last moment will result in low-quality results, more effort spent, and a whole lot of disappointment. 

Here are some effective ways to avoid procrastination : 

• Schedule your deep work. Deep work is the time you devote to your most important, time-consuming, personal work.
• Take breaks frequently. Nobody can be productive for seven hours straight. Let your mind wind down every once in a while to make sure that when you’re sitting to work, you actually work.
• Acknowledge your negative feelings. Address feelings of fear, anxiety, or frustration that may be causing you to procrastinate.
• Hone your organizational skills .   The more organized you are, the more effectively you can tackle your tasks and meet impending deadlines.

#8. Anticipate Obstacles

The better you’re able to identify possible obstacles to your goals, the easier it will be to tackle them and overcome them. 

Here are some steps you can follow to identify potential obstacles to your goals: 

• Brainstorm all possible obstacles.
• Categorize the obstacles into “no control,” “influence,” and “direct control.” Put obstacles over which you have no control in the first category, obstacles over which you may have some influence in the second, and obstacles over which you have direct control in the third.
• Remove obstacles over which you have no control from the list.
• Prioritize the “direct control” and “influence” obstacles accordingly.
• For obstacles you have direct control over, prioritize them by the easiest to address. For the ones where you have some influence over, prioritize them based on their impact on your goal.
• Develop an action plan to address each obstacle.

#9. Seek Out Inspiration 

When you’re striving to achieve big, long-term goals, it’s not common to get discouraged every now and then. 

This may happen due to several reasons, including the obstacles you may face along the way, fear of failure, lack of focus, or even the inability to handle negative emotions like anxiety or fear. 

To make sure that your discouragement doesn’t become a reason to quit your goals, you should seek out daily doses of inspiration . 

Continuous inspiration can help keep you motivated, focused, and driven. It can also help you combat discouragement and negative thoughts, whenever they occur. 

Now, different people seek different types of inspiration. For some, motivational TED talks may be enough to keep them focused and inspired.  Others perform better with a mentor to guide them on how they should meet their goals.

As such, you should think about what motivates you and find the right source of inspiration for YOU. 

#10. Track Your Progress

When you track your progress systematically, you’re much more likely to achieve your goals. 

When you track your progress you are able to evaluate how your action plan is doing, how effectively you’re addressing obstacles, whether you need to readjust your targets or timeframe, etc. 

Tracking your progress should be fairly easy if you follow the SMART goal-setting method outlined above and have a detailed action plan in place. With measurable, realistic goals, you can set up a system (or KPIs) to track your progress much more easily than if your goal is something vague like “have a lot of money someday.” 

For example, a simple way to track your progress is to check your action plan. Are you meeting the milestones you’ve set for yourself in the expected time frame or is it taking you longer? 

Are you facing unexpected obstacles along the way that are setting you back? If that’s the case, you may need to readjust your action plan. 

#11. Manage Your Time Effectively 

When it comes to achieving your goals, time can be your ally or it can be your enemy, all depending on how you manage it.

If you’re prone to mismanaging your time, you’ll likely feel like there will never be enough of it to achieve your goals. With strong management skills, on the other hand, you’ll likely even have time to spare at the end of each day. 

That said, time management is easier said than done. To do it as effectively as possible, it helps to have a time-management system in place.

For example, you can adopt the quadrant time management system , which divides time into four boxes based on the urgency of the tasks you have to complete: 

• Important and urgent. These are short-term crises and problems you need to deal with ASAP.
• Important but not urgent. These are the long-term strategic goals you need to work on consistently.
• Urgent but not important. These are easy but short-term tasks you can accomplish by avoiding distractions and interruptions.
• Not urgent and not important. Misc stuff you have to do. Put these on the bottom of your to-do lists.

Alternatively, you can head over to our comprehensive guide on improving time-management skills to learn about many more effective strategies to manage YOUR time. 

#12. Hold Yourself Accountable 

Last but not least, you should be able to hold yourself accountable if you want to achieve your goals.

This means accepting failure now and then, facing setbacks head-on, and not making excuses for yourself. Holding yourself accountable is an important mindset that you should incorporate into your life to make all the strategies mentioned above tangible. 

In the long run, accountability is what sets action apart from mere dreams and talk. 

Having goals and working toward achieving them is definitely a challenging undertaking. 

Even if you follow all the strategies for achieving your goals outlined in this article, chances are there will be moments when the going gets tough and you feel like quitting.  

When that happens, it helps to focus on how beneficial goals are for your personal and professional life. 

Specifically, here are some of the top benefits of having goals that you should keep in mind: 

• Motivation. Setting goals will give you something to aspire to, which, in turn, can serve as a strong motivator to always try your hardest. Is your goal to be the best professional in your field? That alone should motivate you to always show up and give it all you’ve got in the workplace.
• Control. Goal setting means you’re acknowledging exactly what it is that you want in life. That is the first step towards making things happen, instead of simply letting them happen to you.
• Sense of direction. Your goals can offer you a clear direction for your short-term and long-term future. Is your goal to become a doctor? Then your path is going through med school, studying hard, and dedicating your life to helping others.
• Clarity. When you set goals, it’s easier to see the bigger picture and gain perspective on what really matters to YOU. If your goal in life is, say, to help people, then you won’t feel unfulfilled or disappointed if you don’t advance your career or make tons of money.
• Focus. Having goals can help you stay focused on your day-to-day tasks. When we think abstractly about our dreams, they often remain exactly that—dreams. When we have goals, however, it’s easier to put in the effort to achieve them and avoid distractions and feeling overwhelmed.

Whether you’re setting goals for your professional or your personal life, it’s important to keep them realistic; otherwise, it may be very hard (or even impossible) to achieve them.  

An example of an unrealistic goal is wanting to become a mathematician when you’re bad at math. Or, aiming to graduate with an above-average GPA without studying. 

An example of a realistic goal, on the other hand, is to become a renowned professor once you have shown academic potential. At work, it can be getting promoted after meeting your job’s KPIs. 

Here are some tips for setting realistic and attainable goals in all aspects of your life: 

#1. Consider your passions

Working toward a goal for which you’re not passionate is bound to be boring and bound to backfire. 

That’s why it’s important to consider your passions, values, and aspirations when you’re setting goals. If, for example, you’re someone who isn’t driven by material gains, setting a goal to make as much money as possible may prove to be disappointing and uninspiring to you. 

#2. Envision your future 

Where do you see yourself in five, ten, or fifteen years? 

What does your ideal future look like? 

Taking some time to envision your future based on who you are today is essential in setting personal and professional goals. 

Some other questions that can help you get a clearer idea of your future include: 

• Do you want to work for yourself?
• How much money do you want to earn, ideally?
• Would you like to work remotely ?
• Do you want to focus on your family or career?
• Do you see yourself having children? 
• Would you like to spend some time traveling or living somewhere abroad?

#3. Note your resources and potential threats 

Think long and hard about the resources you have available that can help you achieve your goals and the threats that may make it difficult to do so. 

Examples of such resources include the time at your disposal, how informed you are about what achieving your goal requires, whether you’re trained (or have the right skills ), if you have or need support, funding, or monetary resources, etc. 

Let’s say that your goal is to get into an Ivy League school. The resources you may have at your disposal to achieve your goal may be that you’re well-informed, that you’re an excellent student, and that you have your parents' and teachers’ support. 

Potential threats, on the other hand, might be low-acceptance rates and very high tuition fees.  

#4. Reassess and adjust

Once you have considered your passions and values, envisioned your future, and made a detailed assessment of resources and potential threats, you can reassess your goals and adjust them accordingly. 

Let’s say, for example, that you’re passionate about basketball and you want your professional life to revolve around it. However, you’re not a great athlete, which means that your childhood dream of becoming a professional basketball player is not realistic. 

A reassessed goal, in this case, would be to become a sports journalist if you have a knack for writing, or a sports photographer if you’re better at taking pictures. Alternatively, you may decide to make basketball your number one hobby and play daily after work as a way to let off steam and enjoy yourself. 

FAQs on Strategies for Achieving Goals

Do you still have some questions about the best strategies for achieving your goals? 

Check out the frequently asked questions below:

1. How can students achieve their goals?

Some strategies that students can use for achieving their goals include creating a detailed action plan, fighting their bad habits (e.g. non-stop partying) and distractions (e.g. watching TV shows), avoiding procrastination, looking for a mentor (for example, an inspiring professor), identifying potential setbacks, and tracking their progress. 

2. Are goals necessary to achieve success?

Yes, goals are definitely necessary to achieve success. That’s because goals can help you stay motivated, offer you a clear direction for your short-term and long-term future, help you gain perspective on what matters most to you, and take control of your life. 

3. What are the obstacles to achieving goals? 

Some obstacles to achieving goals include putting off your goals indefinitely, waiting to act until you feel the time is right or until you feel ready, not anticipating the tough times, viewing every mistake or setback as a failure, not making your goals a priority, and underestimating how hard the process can be. 

4. What can you do if you have no goals? 

If you feel like you have no goals, that’s totally OK. It’s not uncommon not to have any goals - typically, it comes as a result of now knowing exactly what it is that you want out of life yet.

If that’s you, here are some tips on how to figure out your goals in life.

First things first, you should get to know yourself better. What are you passionate about? What do you love doing, what are your hobbies? What type of skills do you possess? If your hobbies and your skills align, that’s a great place to start.

Secondly, you should envision your future. Where do you see yourself personally and professionally in the future? Is there something you really want to have or dream of achieving by the time you’re a certain age? That can very well be your goal.

If you don’t have any hobbies or passions yet, start researching different fields and trying new things to see what clicks. Alternatively, talk with friends and family about their goals in life - you may find a great source of inspiration among them. 

5. What is the difference between goals and targets?

Goals can be defined as people’s primary ambitions and, although they can be short-term, they typically represent some of our most important desires in life. Targets, on the other hand, are specific desired outcomes that can help us achieve our goals. 

To give you an example - a professional goal can be someday owning your own medical practice. In this case, some targets would be finishing med school, buying the right property, establishing a strong client base, etc.

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap on the best strategies for achieving goals. 

Before you go and start putting them into practice, let’s go over the most important points covered in this article: 

• Some of the best strategies for achieving your goals are setting SMART goals, creating an action plan, breaking bad habits, fighting procrastination, growing your time-management skills, and holding yourself accountable. 
• Having goals gives you a sense of direction in life and makes you more motivated to achieve success.
• To set realistic goals, make sure to analyze your current situation and identify potential threats and the resources at your disposal.

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Career Goals Essay For Scholarships (With Examples)

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Scholarship programs often want you to write a career goals essay to see that you have a clear plan for how you’ll apply your education to a specific career path. This helps show a scholarship committee why you’re seeking funds for the next step on the path toward your success.

Answering “what are your career goals” effectively can help increase your odds of impressing landing a scholarship opportunity. If you’re a prospective student applying for scholarships, this article will provide tips on how to write a career goals essay, along with essays on career goals examples to help you get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for.

Key Takeaways:

When you’re writing a career goals essay, make sure to write about the goals that are relevant to the scholarship.

Be honest and use your own voice to stand out in your scholarship essay.

Go into detail about how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals.

What is a career goals essay?

Why scholarship essays ask about career goals, example career goals essay prompts, career goals essay examples, tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals, what to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed, career goals essay for a scholarship faq.

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A career goals essay is a personal written explanation that discusses your background, why you’re interested in participating in the program, and what career you’d like this degree to lead into. A scholarship essay functions to explain why you want to achieve your professional goals and how you intend to get there.

In almost every application process, a portion asks the candidate to answer an essay question. When applying to an educational program, like an MBA, the essay prompt usually relates to your career goals .

Scholarship essays ask about career goals to assess your enthusiasm for the program, learn more about how the scholarship will help you, and ensure that you’ve considered how the program will help you achieve your goals for the future:

Assess your enthusiasm. Passion is important for scholarship administrators, and if you’re able to articulate your enthusiasm for a specific career path , it will show that you’re determined to meet the requirements to reach that goal. The most specific and well-thought-out your essay is, the easier it will be for a reader to understand your devotion and commitment to the program and the field it will allow you to enter.

Learn how the scholarship will help you. Having a firm grasp of your career goals is great, but it’s equally important that you express exactly how the specific program relates to those goals. This shows that you’ve researched the merits of the program and understand exactly how it fits into your professional goals.

Show you’ve considered your future. This goes along with the first two points — show that you know how to set goals and consider the path toward achieving those goals, and you’ll have an easier time convincing the reader that you’ll know how to set goals while participating in the program. They’ll see that you know how to prioritize education because you have a clear vision for navigating your career path.

While some scholarships might come right out and simply ask, “What are your career goals?” most will rework the question into something different that still accomplishes the same goal.

Below are some examples of career goals essay prompts that a scholarship program could pose to its applicants:

Discuss your career goals. Many scholarships prefer the most direct approach when giving an essay prompt to their applicants. This type of question gives the candidate a lot of wiggle room to discuss their passions, motivations, and career goals.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? This question is often used as a prompt for a career goals essay because it gives the applicant a timeline to describe their aspirations. It forces them to be realistic about where their career will be and how they will accomplish this within the next ten years.

How will this scholarship contribute to your professional success? A scholarship committee wants to be sure that the money they’re giving will contribute to a student’s overall professional success. This question asks about the applicant’s game plan in the long-term and evaluates how this program is going to assist in their future.

What is your dream job ? Since a dream job is often categorized as a person’s career goals, this is a common question phrasing in scholarship essays. Asking about a candidate’s dream job answers whether this program aligns with the student’s long-term career goals.

What matters most to you and why? Sometimes, a scholarship essay prompt won’t ask about your career or future at all. Instead, they’ll ask a question like this that assesses your motivations , values, and character.

Use these examples of career goals essays for scholarships to help write your own. Pay special attention to how they’re organized, rather than the content, to inspire your own career goals essay:

Career goals essay example 1 – Discuss your career goals

When I was six years old, I was riding bikes with my older sister around our neighborhood. She had just taught me how to ride, and I was excited to have to freedom to explore with her. When she was rounding a particularly difficult bend to see around, a car happened to be coming along at the same time. It struck her. That bike ride changed our lives forever. Over the next year, I went with my sister every Tuesday and Thursday to her physical therapist ’s appointments to help her regain walking strength. Watching her physical therapist patiently assist my sister back to becoming herself awoken something in me. A passion for helping others in the same way eventually turned into a career goal of becoming a physical therapist myself. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduating in 2019, I knew that the next step for me was to attend a graduate program in physical therapy. I was accepted to Lassell University Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services. This presented me with my latest goal along my career path, and I’m eagerly waiting to start. This scholarship would help me afford the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Lassell University class of 2023, allowing me to continue working towards my ultimate career goal of becoming a physical therapist and helping others to become themselves again.

Career goals essay example 2 – Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I will have been successfully running my own construction business for about five years. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. I decided to get my MBA because I knew it would be a positive asset toward my long-term career goal of owning a construction business. In my high school years, I worked as a construction apprentice for a local business. I loved many aspects of the business, such as building something from nothing. I knew that I wanted to incorporate this work into my long-term career, but I didn’t want to work as an apprentice . This led me to pursue business. In ten years and with the help of this scholarship, I will have graduated with my MBA almost a decade prior . After graduation, I plan to take a business administration internship with a carpentry business to help myself get a footing in the field. After about two years of this, I will have started my own construction business.

Career goals essay example 3 – What matters most to you and why?

The people I surround myself with matter most to me. Whether it be my relatives, friends, or professional acquaintances, I always care the most about the happiness of the people around me. Making the people around me happy matters the most to me because I truly because we find our happiness through others. I believe that this drive to make a positive impression on the people around me is what drove me towards a career as a nurse . I always thought of hospitals as places where people need someone to support them and make their day a little happier. I wanted to be one of those who spend their careers positively impacting people in need. This scholarship will enable me to finally afford nursing school and go after my dream job full force.

Career goals essay example 4 – What are your short- and long-term career goals, and how will earning this degree contribute to achieving those goals? Please provide a minimum of 200 words.

My short-term career goals involve working directly with underprivileged young people to increase the literacy rate in my community. As a student of an underfunded and understaffed school, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact early literacy education makes on long-term achievement. It broke my heart to see my peers embarrassed at their struggle with reading at an advanced age, and this shame added another dimension to their lack of opportunity. Being a literacy educator for young people would allow me to serve this community directly to show them not only the necessity of strong written communication skills, but the joy of reading for pleasure. This program focuses specifically on early literacy, and would provide me a direct route to a career in serving the community I hope to serve. As for long-term career goals, I hope to one day create a program where socioeconomically parents can bring their children for literacy education, not only to increase their ability to navigate the world of language, but also to instill confidence and joy in the written word. What drew me to this program was that it also has administrative, legal, and business dimensions that would set me on the path toward achieving this goal.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for writing a career goals scholarship essay:

Write about goals relevant to the scholarship. Although you may have many different kinds of goals for your personal and professional future, a scholarship essay only discusses objectives that are relevant to the program you’re applying for.

Be honest. Applying for a scholarship is stressful because the applicant’s education is usually reliant on receiving these funds in one way or another. Even though it’s tempting to exaggerate your skills or pretend you’re more passionate about something than you are to make yourself a more competitive applicant, it’s a bad move.

Use your own, unique voice. The essay portion of a scholarship application is your chance to stand out by using your voice. Nobody else, regardless of their academic or professional achievements, is you. Make this clear in your career goals scholarship essay by keeping your unique written voice engrained in the words you produce.

Be specific. A big reason that scholarship committees ask applicants to write a career goals essay is to determine how prepared they are in planning their long-term professional goals. They aren’t interested in providing a scholarship to students who aren’t going to follow through with their career plans.

Explain long and short-term goals . Even if the essay prompt asks you to describe where you see yourself in ten years, you still need to tell them the steps leading towards this picture of success.

Include the short-term goals that add up to your larger career objectives in your essay response. Explain how accomplishing the smaller goals gives you an advantage when tackling long-term ones.

Explain how the program and scholarship will help you. Before writing your career goals essay, consider how this program and scholarship will help you in your career. The answer to this question is essential.

Follow the essay formatting guidelines. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget this step when your essay is finally flowing and when you’re scrambling to get it submitted on time.

Check, double-check , and triple-check the essay guidelines for content, word count, and formatting requirements. If you miss any of these steps, your essay may be immediately disqualified no matter how good it or the rest of your application is.

Many times career goals essays are written by students who have already completed at least some college or are applying to a post-graduate program and need more money to continue.

There’s a good chance that your career goals have changed since you started or graduated college. For example, say you wanted to be an engineer , so you got your undergraduate degree in engineering but realized you didn’t like it after working in the industry for a few years.

You decided that nursing would be more up your alley, and now you’re applying for a scholarship for a nursing program. While this isn’t unusual, it can make it more difficult to write a career goals essay since your past work doesn’t necessarily match your future goals.

In this case, you’ll simply need to explain why you changed your career path and why this next one is the best choice for you. Share your decision-making process to show that you haven’t taken the switch lightly, and talk about what you’ve already done to try to pursue this path.

How do you write a career goal for a scholarship essay?

You write a career goal for a scholarship essay by sharing your passion, explaining both your long- and short-term goals, and relating your goals to the scholarship.

Explain why you want to pursue the career you’re pursuing, where you hope to be in the future and how you plan to get there, and how the scholarship will help you do this.

How do you describe your career goals in an essay?

You describe your career goals in an essay by explaining what you want to do in your career, why you decided on this career path, and what you’ve done so far to make that a reality.

You can usually work these factors into any prompt you receive, so think through them before you start writing so that you can use them as an outline of sorts.

What are career goals examples?

Examples of career goals include:

Working as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization.

Becoming a department manager and eventually an executive in your field.

Owning your own plumbing company.

Caring for underserved communities as a nurse practitioner .

What are some goals for success?

Some goals for success include growing in your role, building your network, and finding joy in the job. Most careers don’t just happen overnight and require you to set the right milestones that work best for you. Not everyone will have the same goals for success.

How do you start a career goals essay for a scholarship?

You can start a career goals essay for a scholarship by directly answering the prompt. Most scholarship prompts include a word count of between 200 and 500 words, so it’s essential that you immediately respond to the prompt. Attention-grabbing sentences and narratives can be helpful for setting the scene, but an efficient and direct answer will show a clarity of mind that helps enhance the quality of your answer.

BLS – Career planning for high schoolers

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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My Goal In Life Essay

A goal is a vision for the future or the desired outcome that an individual commits to imagining, planning, and achieving. People try to achieve their goals in a restricted time by setting deadlines. Here are some sample essays on my goal in life.

100 Words Essay On My Goal In Life

A goal is a desire you have to accomplish yourself. If one wants to succeed in life, one must have a goal. Being a teacher is my life's ambition. A wonderful and responsible profession is teaching. I have made the conscious decision to do all in my ability to promote knowledge among the people. Some people believe that money is life.

However, in my opinion, morality is what makes life truly sweet. In the future, I hope to be a beloved and reputable teacher. I have no clue how far I will get in achieving my goal but I'll give it my best.

200 Words Essay On My Goal In Life

A goal is a vision for the future or a desired outcome that an individual or group of individuals commits to envisioning, planning, and achieving. By setting deadlines, people try to accomplish their goals by setting deadlines.

My current goal is related to my education. I want to come in first place and achieve the top marks in every subject because this will increase my chances of receiving an overseas scholarship. I am putting a lot of effort into achieving this as my objective. Any student wants the chance to pursue their studies overseas, and I have that chance. I also take my coursework seriously and educate myself on all topics pertaining to my field of study, including research, literature, and academic journals.

Additionally, studying overseas will help me get a superior education and a diploma that is recognised across the world, both of which will allow me to compete for prominent jobs. So that I may accomplish my goal, I don't waste time on pointless activities and instead pay attention to my studies. My family is undoubtedly a tremendous benefit for me; they support me at all times and provide me whatever I require. Additionally, I owe a lot of credit for my success to my professors, who are a big help to me in my studies.

500 Words Essay On My Goal In Life

Everybody has a life goal. The aim or aspiration of man is his inner desire. One will not take any action if his or her goals are unclear.

What Is A Goal

The goal of an individual is to achieve a particular objective or target. Goal may also refer to the finish line of a race or the object that a player is attempting to insert as part of a game. As a noun, "goal" has other meanings. A goal is something you strive to achieve after working hard and persistently towards it.

Types Of Goals

Mastery goals | A mastery goal, such as "I will score higher in this event next time," is one that someone sets to attain or master a certain skill.

Performance-approach goals | A performance-approach goal is one where the person aims to outperform their peers. This kind of objective might be to improve one's appearance by dropping 5 pounds or to receive a better performance evaluation.

Performance-avoidance goals | When someone sets a goal, they frequently want to avoid performing worse than their peers, such as setting a goal to avoid receiving negative

Importance Of A Goal

A goal is similar to a specific objective, the anticipated outcome that directs behaviour, or an end, which is a thing, whether it be a tangible thing or an abstract thing, that has inherent worth.

Everyone should have a life goal. When you have a goal, you work hard every day to attain it and live for it. And when you succeed in those efforts, you feel more confident.

Goals provide us a path to follow. We can hold ourselves accountable by having goals. We are able to clarify what we genuinely desire in life when we set goals and strive toward obtaining them. We can better organise our priorities by setting goals.

Goals can be long-term and short-term. For instance, finishing your schoolwork might be a short-term goal. Learning a musical instrument, pursuing a profession as a doctor, or other long-term goals examples.

Due to the length of time required and the fact that we pick our professional objective, long-term goals play crucial roles in life. The most significant effects of choosing a certain career occur both during and after the effort to attain it.

Setting goals encourages us to create plans of action that will help us reach the desired level of performance.

Example Of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam overcame obstacles to achieve his aim while serving as India's 11th president from 2002 to 2007. Dr Abdul Kalam was raised by Muslim parents who spoke Tamil. Being from a low-income household, Dr Abdul Kalam began delivering newspapers after school at a young age to help augment his family's income. This fact allowed him to help support his father financially. He did not succeed academically, but he was a dedicated student who enjoyed mathematics.

Even during his senior project in college, the dean expressed displeasure with the lack of progress and threatened to revoke his scholarship if the assignment wasn't completed by the next three days. He later put forth a lot of effort on his assignment and finished it on time, impressing the dean. From that point on, Dr Kalam worked as a scientist with the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) , eventually rising to the position of organisation chief. What follows is history.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Professions & Career — Career Goals

Career Goals Essay Examples

Career goals essay topic examples, argumentative essays.

Argumentative career goals essays require you to present and defend a viewpoint or strategy related to your professional aspirations. Consider these topic examples:

• 1. Argue why pursuing higher education, such as a master's degree, is essential for achieving your long-term career goals.
• 2. Defend your perspective on whether adaptability or specialization is more important in today's ever-changing job market.

Example Introduction Paragraph for an Argumentative Career Goals Essay: The journey toward achieving our career goals often involves important decisions. In this essay, I will argue that pursuing a master's degree is not only personally fulfilling but also a strategic step toward realizing my long-term career aspirations in [your chosen field].

Example Conclusion Paragraph for an Argumentative Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the argument for pursuing a master's degree underscores the significance of advanced education in shaping our professional futures. As we contemplate our career paths, we are challenged to make choices that align with our ultimate goals.

Compare and Contrast Essays

Compare and contrast career goals essays involve analyzing the differences and similarities between various career paths, industries, or strategies for achieving your goals. Consider these topics:

• 1. Compare and contrast the career trajectories of professionals in two different fields, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities each path offers.
• 2. Analyze the differences and similarities between pursuing entrepreneurship and working in a corporate environment to achieve your career goals.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Career Goals Essay: The pursuit of career goals often involves making informed choices about our professional paths. In this essay, we will compare and contrast the career trajectories of professionals in [Field A] and [Field B], shedding light on the challenges and opportunities each path presents.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the comparison and contrast of career trajectories in [Field A] and [Field B] reveal the diverse avenues available for achieving our goals. As we navigate our career choices, we are encouraged to explore the unique advantages each path offers.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive career goals essays enable you to vividly depict your envisioned career, highlighting the responsibilities, impact, and personal fulfillment it offers. Here are some topic ideas:

• 1. Describe your ideal job in detail, emphasizing the specific role, responsibilities, and the positive contributions you aim to make.
• 2. Paint a detailed portrait of the work culture and environment you aspire to be a part of in your future career.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Descriptive Career Goals Essay: Our career goals are often shaped by our dreams and aspirations. In this essay, I will immerse you in the vivid details of my ideal job, showcasing the role, responsibilities, and the sense of purpose it offers on my journey toward professional fulfillment.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Descriptive Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the descriptive exploration of my ideal job underscores the importance of aligning our career goals with our aspirations. As we envision our professional futures, we are inspired to pursue opportunities that resonate with our passions and values.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive career goals essays involve convincing your audience of the importance of a specific career path or the value of setting ambitious goals. Consider these persuasive topics:

• 1. Persuade your readers that pursuing a career in [your chosen field] will contribute significantly to societal progress and innovation.
• 2. Argue for the inclusion of career development programs in educational institutions to empower students in defining and pursuing their career goals.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Persuasive Career Goals Essay: Our career choices have the potential to impact not only our lives but also society as a whole. In this persuasive essay, I will present a compelling case for the societal importance of pursuing a career in [your chosen field] and the need for educational institutions to support students in their career aspirations.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Persuasive Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the persuasive argument for the societal value of careers in [your chosen field] emphasizes the transformative impact individuals can have on society. As we contemplate our career journeys, we are urged to consider the broader implications of our choices.

Narrative Essays

Narrative career goals essays allow you to share personal stories or experiences related to your career aspirations and the journey toward achieving them. Explore these narrative essay topics:

• 1. Narrate a personal experience that shaped your career goals and ignited your passion for [your chosen field].
• 2. Share a story of overcoming obstacles and setbacks on your path to realizing your long-term career aspirations.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Narrative Career Goals Essay: Our career goals are often inspired by personal experiences and pivotal moments. In this narrative essay, I will take you on a journey through a defining experience that ignited my passion for [your chosen field], shaping my career aspirations and determination to succeed.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Narrative Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the narrative of my journey toward realizing my career goals underscores the resilience and determination required to overcome obstacles. As we reflect on our own experiences, we are reminded that our career aspirations are within reach with dedication and perseverance.

10 Most Popular Career Goals Essay Topics in 2024

• Adapting Career Aspirations in the Age of Automation and AI
• The Role of Personal Branding in Achieving Career Success
• Navigating Career Changes: Strategies for Lifelong Learning
• Empowering Career Goals: The Impact and Importance of Scholarships
• The Impact of Globalization on Career Opportunities and Choices
• Mentorship's Role in Shaping Future Leaders and Professionals
• Success: The Importance of Setting Career Goals
• The Impact of Cultural Influences on Career Goals and Aspirations
• The Importance of Work-Life Balance in Career Planning
• Entrepreneurship as a Career Goal: Opportunities and Challenges

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What is My Foremost Dream in Life

My ambitions to be a financial advisor, my personal goals and success plan, my career plan to succeed in marketing, my goal to pursue a masters degree in human resource management program, an overview of my business career plan, my further career goals: nurse and science tutor, my motivation for pursuing a career in the film industry, my personal objectives and my career goals, my dedication towards management and marketing to become a successful businessman, my goal to succeed as a doctor, why i chose the clinical psychology psyd program, it passion: the reasons of why i chose it industry, paving the way to my future career trajectory, analysis of the three types of goals in my life, i choose the medical career to help people, career research and career goal: college admission paper, my goal of studying and working in domestic marketing, being good at something doesn't mean you should make it your job, my career and education plans to become a chef, the pursuit of a degree as a special education teacher, relevant topics.

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Examples of Scholarship Essays for the “Career Goals” Question

Emily Wong is a writer at Scholarships360. She’s worked as a social media manager and a content writer at several different startups, where she covered various topics including business, tech, job recruitment, and education. Emily grew up and went to school in the Chicago suburbs, where she studied economics and journalism at Northwestern University.

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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Writing an essay is often the trickiest part of the scholarship application, not to mention the most time-consuming. However, the essay section also allows room for creativity and individuality. If you can communicate effectively, you can use the essay portion to stand out from the crowd. Let’s go over some tips for writing, as well as a couple of scholarship essay examples about career goals.

How to write a scholarship essay 

At this point, you’ve probably gained plenty of experience writing papers for school. However, it may still take a couple of tries to nail the scholarship essay. Since scholarship teams often have to get through a lot of applications, it’s important to stand out while staying concise. Here are some simple guidelines for writing scholarship essays.

See also: How to write a winning scholarship essay (with examples!)

Take five minutes to brainstorm

Before you even start your essay, take some time to gather your thoughts. Think about what you’ll want the paper to focus on. Why did you choose to pursue your career path in the first place? Where do you want to be in five years? How would this scholarship help you further your studies and work toward your goals?

Once you’ve jotted down a few ideas, choose one or two to center your essay on. Identifying the focus of your paper, it’ll make it easier to keep your thoughts organized. In turn, it’ll make it easier for the reader to follow.

Related : How to start a scholarship essay (with examples!)

Stay within the word limit

Unlike the four-page essays that you may have written in English class, scholarship essays are often only a paragraph or two. In order to respect the selection committee’s time, be wary of going too far about the specified word count. A general rule of thumb is to stay within 20 words above or below the limit. That may entail a few rounds of edits to get the wording just right.

Stay positive!

Feel free to use part of your essay to talk about your life’s challenges. After all, the selection committee often wants to give the award to a candidate who needs it. However, make sure your anecdote doesn’t devolve into a sob story. If you’re going to bring up hardships you’ve endured, try to balance it by talking about how you’ve overcome them. By demonstrating resilience, you can show readers how you would use the scholarship to succeed in your current situation.

Leave time to proofread

Especially for a short scholarship essay, proofreading can take as little as 5-10 minutes. Still, it can be tempting to just hit “submit” after your first draft. However, being too impulsive can leave your essay riddled with typos and grammatical errors.

Try to avoid unnecessary mistakes by finishing your draft at least 24 hours before the scholarship deadline. That way, you can proofread it with fresh eyes before you submit it.

If you’re struggling to close out your essay, read how to end a scholarship essay in five steps .

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How to write a 100-word “career goals” essay.

When writing a 100-word essay, you’ll have to choose your content carefully. Since space is limited, you’ll want to identify the most important details to include beforehand.

First and foremost, make sure to clearly communicate your current pursuits. Talk about your academic and extracurricular activities related to your career goals. Additionally, it’s important to be specific about what you plan to do in the future. Then, if you have extra room, you can talk about how the scholarship will help you reach your goals.

My name is Alison MacBride, and I’m a sophomore at the University of Illinois. I’m currently pursuing a major in Journalism with a minor in Natural Resource Conservation. After completing my program, I plan to combine my areas of interest to become an environmental journalist.

During high school, I volunteered at an eco-conscious farm, where I learned about how our actions affect the earth. Since then, I’ve been set on raising awareness for the environment. This scholarship would go a long way in helping me finish my degree with the skills I need to investigate and report about critical issues.

Word count: 100

How to write a 250-word “career goals” essay

For the 250-word essay, you can go into more detail. Give the readers some context by talking about how you first got interested in your chosen career. Storytelling can be especially effective in engaging your audience. Try to capture their attention by choosing one or two concrete examples and relaying them vividly.

Additionally, you can spend more time talking about the scholarship and how it’ll make a difference in your studies. Go into more detail about how and why you need the award, but remember to keep it positive! For more help, check out how to write a 250 word essay . 

I first decided that I wanted to pursue a career in environmentalism in early high school. The summer after my freshman year, I joined a volunteer program at an eco-conscious farm in my community. In addition to helping out with the operations, I learned about current environmental issues related to farming and other consumer industries.

After learning about the agricultural industry’s impact on the planet, I was inspired to make a difference. The next year, I started a monthly earth magazine at my high school in which we broke down environmental issues and offered tips on how to be more eco-friendly. When I started college, I founded an on-campus publication with the same mission.

In recent years, I’ve been troubled to see how some media outlets downplay the gravity of issues like climate change and deforestation. I’ve admired reporters who publish trustworthy and comprehensible information about environmental issues, and I aim to follow in their footsteps.

When I entered college, I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t have enough money to finish my degree. Fortunately, I’ve been able to cover most of my tuition using merit scholarships and paychecks from my part-time job on campus. Receiving this scholarship would allow me more time to focus on acing my classes and pursuing environmental advocacy work on campus.

Word count: 261

Final thoughts

Planning is essential in making your “career goals” essay clear and concise. Hopefully, these scholarship essay examples about career goals can be your guide to writing a scholarship-winning essay. Good luck!

Additional resources

Maybe you need to write a longer scholarship essay? We can help with our writing a 500 word essay guide ! Be prepared and learn how to write essays about yourself and how to craft an impressive personal statement . Learn the differences between a personal statement and a statement of purpose as the terms might come up on college websites. If you haven’t decided on a college already, check out our guide on how to choose a college . No matter where you are in your educational journey, make sure that you apply for all the scholarships you qualify for!

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Essay: How Will This Scholarship Help You Achieve Your Goals? (With Example) – 2023

Jennifer Finetti May 23, 2023

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Many scholarship applicants often have to write a “How will this scholarship help you achieve your goals” essay. This gives the scholarship committee an understanding of how the scholarship will help students pursue their goals.

Needless to say, the essay is very important for the scholarship application. This is where students can show off their personality. Students should make sure to write a unique composition which answers the essay question.

Think About Your Goals

It can be challenging to think about what your goals are after college. This is especially true if you haven’t decided on a major and have no idea what you want to study.

If you find yourself struggling to determine what your career goals are, try brainstorming before you start writing. Think of what your short-term and long-term goals are and write them down. What skills do you need to achieve these goals?

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Writing Tips – Getting Started

When starting to write your essay , make sure you open with a catchy introduction. This can be a question, an anecdote or a personal story. You want to grab your reader’s interest right away. Start with something unique, rather than using a generic sentence that any other student can use.

Explain the Inspiration Behind Your Goals

You’ll then want to explain the inspiration behind your goals. What led you to want to pursue these goals? What experiences have you had in life which have influenced you and your dreams?

Discuss Your Goals

After discussing your past experiences, talk about your education and career goals . Do you have a major? How will it help you achieve your goals?

Do you have long-term goals you can talk about? The scholarship provider doesn’t expect you to have long-term goals set in stone so don’t worry if you don’t. Instead, you can write about how you wish to impact others.

Make a Creative Conclusion

In your conclusion paragraph, you should summarize the major points in your essay.  Then finish with a closing thought. You should try to make it creative and unique. You want to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

After you finish writing your essay, make sure you proofread it several times. The last thing you’d want to do is turn in an essay with grammar mistakes.

Scholarship Goals Essay Example

It was November, 2016, a few days before Thanksgiving. My class took a field trip to a soup kitchen to serve lunch. I poured piping hot soup into bowls while people started to fill the room. It was a great way to warm up on the frigid November day. Their eyes seemed empty and sad. “Happy Thanksgiving” we said to one another, as our eyes locked.

A few days later, as I sat surrounded by family, turkey, gravy and pumpkin pie, I couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right. Why was I so fortunate to have access to all this food? I thought of the people from the soup kitchen and wondered where they were. I knew right then and there that my purpose in life was to help people.

I returned to the soup kitchen as a volunteer a week later, and a week after that.

I envisioned the realm of possibilities for these people. “I would connect him with a rehab program, her with daycare for her baby so she could find work,” I thought to myself while volunteering. I have dreams of one day being able to help people make changes in their lives.

For this reason, I will be starting my undergraduate degree in social work at Boston University in the fall. I am certain that my studies will instill within me the skills and knowledge I need to pursue a career as a social worker. I hope to be able to help those who are less privileged find hope in their lives.

This scholarship will help me achieve my educational and career goals. I have been working hard to save up for college, but with the exorbitant costs of tuition, my part-time jobs haven’t been enough. I am planning to work during my undergraduate degree, but I do wish to focus a lot of my time on my studies. This scholarship will help by lowering the costs of college and the amount of hours I’ll need to work throughout my studies. This way, I’ll be able to continue with my academic achievements. It will also give me time to find an internship. I am hoping to find an internship at a homeless shelter in the Boston area.

It has been two and a half years since I first walked into that soup kitchen. That day without a doubt has changed the course of my life. My experiences there, talking with people and hearing their stories, have instilled within me a passion to help people make positive changes in their lives. This scholarship will allow me to pursue the education I need to achieve my goals.

• Scholarship Essay

Jennifer Finetti

As a parent who recently helped her own kids embark on their college journeys, Jennifer approaches the transition from high school to college from a unique perspective. She truly enjoys engaging with students – helping them to build the confidence, knowledge, and insight needed to pursue their educational and career goals, while also empowering them with the strategies and skills needed to access scholarships and financial aid that can help limit college costs. She understands the importance of ensuring access to the edtech tools and resources that can make this process easier and more equitable - this drive to support underserved populations is what drew her to ScholarshipOwl. Jennifer has coached students from around the world, as well as in-person with local students in her own community. Her areas of focus include career exploration, major selection, college search and selection, college application assistance, financial aid and scholarship consultation, essay review and feedback, and more. She works with students who are at the top of their class, as well as those who are struggling. She firmly believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, can succeed if they stay focused and work hard in school. Jennifer earned her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University, and her BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

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February 29, 2024

• Writing Your Career Goals Essay

Check out all the blog posts in this series:

• Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
• Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
• Revise and Polish Your Application Essays

Your career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. A personal statement, by contrast, allows for some flexibility in its content, though you can – and often should – discuss your career goals. But a career goals essay has a particular and packed agenda. In fact, the prompt for a career goals essay could actually include multiple questions, and in such cases, you want to make sure you address each of them.

For example, in 2022, Kellogg asked applicants to its one-year program to respond to the following prompt: “Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal.” 

This prompt has three parts: (1) What do you want to do post-MBA ? (2) Why is the 1Y program appropriate for you? And (3) what experience has so far prepared you to succeed in your target role? 

So, always pay close attention to your target school’s prompt to ensure that you answer all the questions within its “single” question. 

Three elements of a successful career goals essay

In addition to having a distinct theme , your career goals essay should achieve the following:

• Highlight specific career achievements. Choose from your most notable or defining experiences. These could be related to your work, community involvement, or extracurricular activities. The experiences you select should showcase your leadership skills , creative thinking, collaborative abilities, and personal reflections about what you learned or gained.
• Explain why your experiences and influences make your career goal a logical and wise choice.
• Demonstrate why you are suited to a particular field as a result of your education, experience, abilities, and enthusiasm. Ideally, the material you choose to include will also allow you to prove your knowledge about industry trends and suggest how your abilities and strengths can help you contribute to that field.

It’s a very tall order to achieve all this.

Putting these elements together to create your goals essay

Let’s take a look at a sample MBA Goals Essay and see how these three key elements are incorporated.  

You should be able to easily recognize why the writer’s opening is attention-getting for all the right reasons. The writer introduces herself as the supremely busy executive she visualizes becoming in the future. She trades large amounts of stock, rushes off to a Zoom conference, hurries downstairs, flags down a taxi, then hops on a plane. As she describes this whirlwind of activity, we can practically feel her heart pumping.

After establishing her voice and personality in this opening, she offers context for her MBA goal. Notice that in writing about her work as an accountant for a major firm, she provides relevant details, including how many years she has been in the field, her bilingualism, and her specialty area as an auditor. This information is her springboard to explain why she is pursuing an MBA: she’s bursting out of her limited role as an accountant. Her eyes and ambition are set on a larger playing field as an international investment manager.

Write an essay, not a list or CV

Outstanding career goals essays are not lists of an applicant’s roles and achievements. Instead, they have a narrative flow and arc that convey the candidate’s palpable excitement about their career choice. This writer’s enthusiastic, dreamy first paragraph achieves this, and she returns to that image at the end, where she paints her idealized (if frantically busy) future. She also proves her seriousness by noting that she registered for the CFA exam.

Connect your career goals to your reasons for choosing a particular program

Many essay questions, especially those for MBA programs , will ask why you have chosen the school you’re applying to. Be prepared to respond knowledgeably and enthusiastically. And the only way to become knowledgeable – and enthusiastic – is by visiting campus in-person or virtually, attending student recruitment meetings, participating in forums, reading student blogs, watching videos of students speaking about their experiences, communicating directly with students and/or recent alumni, and otherwise doing your homework. As part of your research, make sure you have familiarized yourself with the courses and specializations that are relevant to your goals.

Summary Tips

• Focus on answering each and every question asked in a career goals essay prompt. Often, there is more than one.
• Highlight specific achievements vividly and in a way that shows that your career choice is logical for you.
• Do the research so you can write about why the school is a good fit for you and do so with genuine enthusiasm.

In the next post in this series , we’ll explain how to take all this advice and apply it to create an exemplary first draft.

Work one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Check out our full catalog of application services . Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.

By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She is also the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay , a free guide
• Grad School Personal Statement Examples
• Focus on Fit , podcast Episode 162

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Writing a Paper: Examples of Effective Writing Goals

Examples of effective writing goals.

Below are a few examples of less effective compared to more effective writing goals:

Ineffective Writing Goal: My writing goal is to get an A on my paper because I lost points for organization on my last assignment.

Although this goal has admirable intentions, it poses a series of potential obstacles. First, it is not focused on writing. The student has focused on a problem instead of concentrating on developing specific, achievable writing skills. There are also factors related to grading that are beyond the student’s control. For example, if the student has not written an academic, graduate level paper in several years, it would only be natural for the student to miss points related to organization and idea development. That is perfectly understandable. The important thing to remember is to focus on the needed skills as opposed to the problem at hand.

More Effective Writing Goal: I lost points on a recent assignment because of my paper’s organization. My writing goal is to apply the Writing Center’s MEAL plan to my next assignment and practice developing paragraphs with one, main idea.

In this revised writing goal, the student has identified not only a specific writing skill on which to focus but also a supporting resource—that is, the Writing Center’s MEAL plan —to achieve this goal. The student has also set a reasonable timeline for this goal by concentrating on the application of a single skill to a specific, upcoming assignment. Finally, the student has not placed undue pressure to achieve this goal after one project; instead, the student has smartly suggested that the goal is to practice effective paragraph structure.

Vague or Broad Writing Goal: I want to become a better writer.

Again, the student’s intentions here are genuinely positive. We, at the Writing Center, are always in favor of enhancing your writing skills no matter where you are in the writing process. However, in this case, the student has not narrowed their focus enough to identify what aspects of writing they hope to address. Without this concentration, it can be hard to know where to start. To this point, the student would likely benefit from establishing a step-by-step goals plan that works toward this larger objective of becoming a better writer.

More Effective Writing Goal: I want to focus on how to incorporate and cite evidence appropriately in order to become a more effective scholarly writer. I will achieve this goal by reviewing the Writing Center’s “Paraphrasing Source Material” webinar and then setting up a paper review appointment to check my revisions.

This revision is a clear step in the right direction. The student has now identified a specific set of skills on which to focus as well as established a reasonable plan for achieving this goal. Each step is within the student’s control and can be achieved in a timely manner. Most importantly, the student has not forgotten about the larger goal of becoming a better writer. The student simply has broken this process down into more manageable, step-by-step pieces. In fact, once this goal has been achieved, the student can set another smaller goal to continue their progress to becoming an effective scholarly writer. 

Related Resources

• Academic Skills Center's SMART Goals Guide

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