The object of soccer is to move the ball into your opponent’s goal.  Your opponent does not want you to do this and will make every effort to prevent you from scoring.  In order to score, you must get the goal between the goal posts.  The team scoring the most goals at the end of the game wins, and they advance in their league.  Sounds easy?  It requires a planned and coordinated effort on behalf of each team member and their coach.

Soccer players must spend hours practicing and developing the skills and knowledge they need to become a well-functioning successful soccer team.  They have regular practice sessions each day of the week and specific objectives to reach each time.

Just like the soccer team, individual goal achievers must identify their goal, recognize the benefits of reaching their goal, identify the major obstacles standing in their way, identify the skills and knowledge they need, identify those who can help, develop a plan of action, and then set a deadline.

Step 1: Identify the goal

On the soccer field, the goal is to make as many goals as possible and keep your opponent from scoring.  A struggling student’s goals can range from completing his homework in under an hour to being accepted to Harvard.  When setting goals, a student must be sure to state his goal in the positive as if it has been achieved.  The soccer team could say, “We won the game!”  or, “We are the league champions!”

Step 2: Identify the benefits of reaching the goal

The soccer team’s benefits of making more scores than their opponent are both short-term and long-term: they win the game and they advance in their league.  It is important for your child to identify the benefits of their goal so that when times get tough and the challenges pile up, he will be motivated to keep moving toward his goal.

Step 3: Identify the major obstacles to reach the goal

Obstacles on the soccer field are obvious: the opposing team members will do everything they can to keep you from getting the ball through their goal posts, and they will work just as hard to get the ball through your goal posts.

Step 4: Identify the skills and knowledge needed to reach the goal

Each player on a soccer team must be skilled and knowledgeable in the rules and tactics of the game in order to score and win.  I would be a failure on the soccer field, because I have not had the proper training to be successful.  Without obtaining the proper knowledge and skills to obtain your goal, you are destined to fail too.  Goal achievers must identify their needs up front in order to address them in your plan of action and be successful.

Step 5: Identify the individuals, groups, and organizations to work with to reach the goal

The individual members of the soccer team must work with each other and with their coach in order to reach their goal of winning the game and becoming the league champions.  Each goal achiever needs  a number of team mates and a coach who can help him reach his goals: oftentimes, caring friends, parents, and teachers fill these roles nicely for the goal achiever.

Step 6: Develop a plan of action to reach the goal

To win the game, the soccer team must have a specific plan and tactics in mind when they step onto the field.  A goal achiever must have a specific step-by-step plan to reach his goals.  This plan must specifically address how to overcome major obstacles and develop the skills needed to experience success.

Step 7: Set a date to complete the goal

The game of soccer has a beginning time and an ending time.  The team has to know when the game ends so they can implement their game plan before time is over.  Goal achievers must set a completion date or a deadline to implement their plan and experience success in a timely manner.  His completion date should be set in a reasonable time after considering all the steps in the plan of action.

Just as the soccer players face challenges on the field, the goal achiever will encounter obstacles and set-backs, but with a properly set goal, a good plan, flexible problem-solving skills, and your support, she will be ready for the challenges when they come.

What goals can you help your child set today?

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©1993-2009, Monte Davenport, LD Kids Can!  Excerpt from the I Can! Achievers Course ©1989 used with written permission of the publisher.