Setting Goals for Yourself

(inspired by  MoveOn.com’s Organizing training)

While this is the first section of the packet, it may be valuable to read the rest of the packet for some more ideas before you start goal setting. However it is important when preparing to be an activist that you think about your own personal goals from the very beginning. This gives you an idea of what to look for before you start planning.

• A goal is rooted in values—how you want the world to be, rooted in your core vision of the kind of world that you want to live in and that we want to leave for your children.

• A goal is also rooted in emotion—there’s a gut feeling that something is not right in the world and that there’s a core injustice that needs to be addressed.
• Choosing a goal is the art of turning problems into solutions. It’s the art of asking yourself: What concrete solutions could you create in the world that would begin to solve the challenges we face?
• A goal needs to result in concrete changes in people’s lives—not only be about how you’ll make that change.
• A goal needs to be winnable. There needs to be a clear, measureable point where you know if you’ve won or lost (or you need to keep fighting).

When making a personal activism goal for yourself, ask yourself:

• Which issue(s) are most important to my own personal values?
• Which issue(s) do I feel most passionate about?
• What are some things that could happen to make my view of the world better?
• What is something concrete that I can do to advance this goal?
• Can I measure if I have completed this goal at some point in the future?

Goals can be big or small. It is possible that you may not be able to meet this goal in the timeframe you have specified. It is possible that once you begin working on your goal you may decide you need to reframe or change your position.

Write a goal for your own personal activism:

• Is it important to me?                        
• Do I feel passionate about it?
• Will doing this lead to making the world a better place?
• Have I listed something that I will do to advance my goal?
• Do I have a set timeline for completing this goal?
• Does this goal feel reasonable considering my other obligations and time availability?
• Will I be able to easily answer the question “Has this goal been met?”

If you weren’t able to check all of those boxes write another goal for yourself that addresses the boxes you haven’t checked: