Planning and Overcoming Obstacles to Goals

Learning Goals/Objectives:

Objectives

• Identify the steps to achieving a goal.

• Suggest a time-line to achieve the goal.

• Identify the potential obstacles and how to overcome them.

Overview:

Procedures

1. Ask: What are some steps toward achieving a goal? After some class discussion or brainstorming, suggest the following:

1: Identify and write down your financial goals.

2: Break each goal down into short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals

3: Do your research. What information, skills, etc., will it take?

4. Establish a time-line for achieving the goal.

5: Evaluate your progress often.

2. Review the SMART goals process – characteristics of SMART goals.

3. Ask: What are some potential obstacles to achieving a goal?

1. Financial – dollar costs

2. Time – other things to do

3. Competing goals

4. Other ?

4. Suggest that often, the obstacles to achieving long-term goals are short-term goals. For instance: If your long-term goal is to purchase a home, you first have to have a down payment. To do that, you have to implement a savings plan. To save, you have to reduce your spending. Reducing spending is difficult because “things happen!”

5. Ask: How do you overcome obstacles?

Elicit ideas from the students. Students list possible obstacles and strategies to overcome them.

Identify your alternatives

Think about the risks.

Spend less - save more

Identify benefits and costs of each alternative.

6. Students can share their experiences overcoming obstacles.

Activities:

HANDOUT 1 (Handout 2, Lesson 1)

Achieving My Financial Goal

My financial goal is…____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

The benefits of achieving my goal are... _____________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

The costs of achieving my goal are…_______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

The obstacles I may face are…____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

I can overcome the obstacles by… _________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

If I achieve my goal, I can… ______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Assessment:

Assessment

• Identify the possible steps and a timeline for achieving a financial goal.

• Identify the potential obstacles to achieving a goal and how to overcome them.

Download:

Lesson 3 Planning and Overcoming Obstacles to Goals.doc