Knowing your values leads to setting goals. Values that are important to you help you decide what your goals are because your goals will be like steps that take you closer to your values.
Goals are things that you want and are working on getting. Some goals are short term and some are long term. Short-term goals are things you want to achieve in the next day or near future. For example, you might have a short-term goal of getting a 100 percent on your next spelling test. Long-term goals are things you want to achieve that will take a little extra work, like getting an A in spelling for the year. Long-term goals often involve a few steps, or short-term goals. Both kinds of goals are important.
Let’s say you decide you want the newest Lego set. You have the value of hard work and the goal of getting the new Lego set. How are these things connected? You can choose to keep asking your mom for the Lego set, or you can choose to use your value of hard work by doing extra chores for money and saving your money until you can buy the Lego set all on your own. As you do extra chores each week, you are reaching your short-term goal of saving money. When you have enough money to buy the Lego set, you have reached your long-term goal, and you have done this by thinking about your value of hard work.
Imagine that you do it and you get the Lego set all on your own! How would you feel about yourself after achieving this goal? How important would that Lego set be after you work hard and pay for it yourself?A DBT-Based Skills Workbook to Help Children Manage Mood Swings, Control Angry Outbursts, and Get Along with Others