Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 3, Session 2: SMART Goals | Page 21 of 67
“Imagine that the things you want for your home life, your work life, your family life, your life in the
community, and your life with your friends have happened exactly as you had hoped. In fact, you have
everything you wanted and hoped for.”
Pause for a few moments to let participants think.
“I’d like you to write a story about your successful future. Imagine that the future has already happened
and write your story as if it is true for you now. So that you are able to focus on your story and not the
writing, you can use Handout 3: My Surprising Future to get started.
Share one or more examples of how to use Handout 3. (Noted in Facilitator preparation section.)
Note: Handout 3: My Surprising Future has three lines with the words “because of that,” which extends the story. Give
participants the freedom to use more or fewer of these lines as needed. The “because of that” prompts are designed to
help participants identify smaller action steps that they might need to take when making plans later. The final line, “From
now on, I will always ...” may also be omitted.
Example 1 (Or use the alternative example in Trainer Material 1 or your own.)
I am so excited because I have finally ...
earned my university degree.
I used to think this would never happen because ...
I didn’t have the money and no one from my family has ever been to the university.
But one day a long time ago, I tried ...
talking to an admissions counselor at the university.
Because of that ...
I learned about a scholarship that I could apply for.
Then, because of that ...
I got enough money that I could attend university part-time while I also worked.
And because of that ...
I was able to take two courses a year. It wasn’t as many as most people but I kept at it.
Until finally ...
I finished with high honors.
From now on, I will always ...
be glad I talked to that counselor instead of getting discouraged by doing nothing.
- Move among the participants, offering suggestions or providing suggestions as needed.
a. After most people have finished writing, ask for volunteers to read their stories. Follow each story
with an enthusiastic round of applause.
Note: If some individuals are reluctant to share their full stories, at least ask them to share their dreams and three steps
they took. Alternatively, try to talk to those people privately after the session.
b. Then choose some of these discussion questions to help participants round out their learning:
Note: Among the discussion questions, those in BOLD are the most important.
