Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts.

How to set a goal

First, consider a goal you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Be sure your goal meets the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) standard. Using your model of change identify each process/steps you will go through to reach your goal. Be sure to clearly describe a specific example of how you know you have moved between each stage. The easiest way to respond to this is to use the SMART acronym and answer each one for each phase of the model selected.

Your goal should be important to you and affect at least one aspect of the Social Determinant of Health (SoDH).

For example,

• Academic
• Financial
• Family
• Physical
• Service-Oriented