Why Goal Setting Matters: Helping Young People Build Direction, Purpose, and Resilience

Jon Ford
Oct 8
3 min read

When you ask a young person about their goals, the answers often range from “I don’t know” to “I want to be famous” or “I just want to pass my exams.”

It’s not that they don’t care — it’s that most young people have never been taught how to set meaningful, achievable goals. Many start with vague, external, or unrealistic aims. Without guidance, these goals can quickly fade, leaving students feeling lost or disengaged.

The original inspiration for youHQ came from my own dedication to goal setting and how it helped me achieve success in sport and business. I’ve always believed in the power of having a clear sense of purpose — but I also got tired of constantly writing goals in notebooks and then misplacing them.

So, the idea of creating an app where goals could live in one place — alongside tools and inspiration to help set, track, and achieve them — became one of my biggest motivations.

Today, youHQ is helping young people learn this vital skill, building the motivation, structure, and self-belief they need to succeed.

Goal Setting is a Skill — and It Needs to Be Taught

Goal setting isn’t just about ambition; it’s about direction. It helps children understand who they are, what they value, and how to move towards what matters most to them.

When we teach goal setting early, we give young people the tools to shape their own future — not drift through it.

And this isn’t just opinion — it’s backed by evidence:

A landmark study from Harvard Business School found that people who set clear goals are 10 times more likely to achieve them than those who don’t.
Research from the Dominican University of California showed that simply writing goals down increases the likelihood of achieving them by 42%.
Psychologist James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, reminds us that while goals set direction, systems create progress — it’s the consistent daily habits and small wins that turn intention into long-term success.

Teaching these principles from a young age helps children develop focus, perseverance, and emotional resilience — essential qualities not only for academic success but for life.

The Power of Having a Goal

When students have a goal that truly matters to them, everything changes. They begin to see the link between effort and outcome, between choices and consequences. They start to take ownership of their actions — a key part of building agency and self-determination.

Having a goal helps young people:

Build motivation — understanding the “why” behind their work.
Develop resilience — learning to handle setbacks as part of growth.
Strengthen wellbeing — feeling more purposeful, confident, and capable.

At youHQ, we see this transformation every day. Students who once said, “I don’t know,” begin to talk about the kind of people they want to become and the impact they want to have.

Turning Goals Into Growth

The challenge isn’t just helping young people set goals — it’s helping them sustain them. That’s where structure and reflection come in.

The youHQ platform guides students to set short-term and long-term goals, track their progress, reflect on what’s working, and build the daily habits that make success possible.

By connecting personal development and wellbeing, we help young people link what they’re learning in school to who they’re becoming in life.

A Generation That Knows How to Dream — and Do

In an age of constant distraction and comparison, the ability to set meaningful goals — and take consistent action towards them — is one of the most important life skills we can teach.

Goal setting isn’t about perfection — it’s about transforming what once felt impossible or even a little crazy into something real. It’s about finding direction, building discipline, and embracing discovery. It’s how young people move from “I don’t know” to “I can” — and, in time, “I did.”