The Goal Setter Go Getter

How does a kid go from an average student to the top of the class?

As an elementary school student, Pat was average. She made Bs, Cs, and an occasional A. She even had a D slip up on her report card. However, she left her junior high school with the highest grade point average. She graduated from high school as co-salutatorian. Pat even graduated from the University of Memphis’ Fogelman College of Business in the Top 10% of the class. n

There were 3 steps that Pat executed that propelled her to academic success.

1. Set Goals

Pat had a goal to have a certain grade point average at the end of each grading period.

There has to be a desired result in mind. Goals create direction. It gives you something to strive for.

2. Set Mini-Goals

Pat broke down the grades she had to make in each class to reach the desired grade point average.

After the goal is established, there should be mini-goals or stepping stones set to create the path to the desired goal. This makes the task more doable and not overwhelming.

3. Prioritize activities

When Pat arrived at home, it was understood to do home work or study before watching TV, talking on the phone and any other activities.

When goals are established, some activities may have to be minimized to accomplish the goal.

Pat never imagined she would be Valedictorian of her junior high school class, Co-Salutatorian of her high school class, nor in the Top 10% of the College of Business class. However, she did learn that if you take care of the small things the big things will take care of themselves.