DYB Goals: Rethinking What Success Looks Like for Students

Dr. Janine Bower
May 27
3 min read

Overview

The Do Your Best (DYB) Goals framework is a flexible, student-centered approach to goal-setting that prioritizes effort, self-direction, and progress over perfection. Unlike more rigid structures like SMART Goals, DYB Goals empower students to define success on their own terms—supporting intrinsic motivation and personal accountability while promoting resilience and creativity.

Do Your Best (DYB) Goals act like a compass, helping students set a course to do their best when the terrain is uncertain by focusing on overall direction and adaptability and encouraging them to see where the journey takes them.

Ideal for environments that value exploration, reflection, and adaptability, DYB Goals are a powerful complement to more traditional, outcome-driven frameworks. It offers a powerful, student-centered framework to guide meaningful reflection, foster metacognition, and support personal accountability.

🧠 How Does DYB Goal Setting Foster Metacognition?

DYB goals help students practice thinking about their thinking—which is exactly what metacognition is all about. Unlike rigid goals that focus only on outcomes, DYB goals emphasize self-awareness, strategy, and reflection.

Here's how it works:

Metacognitive Skill	How DYB Goals Develop It	Example
Planning	DYB goals ask students to define what “doing their best” looks like and what steps they’ll take to get there.	“I’ll study 30 minutes a day this week using flashcards and notes.”
Monitoring	Students track how they’re doing as they go, noticing what’s working and where they’re getting stuck.	“I realized I keep checking my phone—next time I’ll study at the library.”
Evaluating	Afterward, students reflect on what strategies helped and what they’d do differently next time.	“The flashcards were great, but I need more practice with timed questions.”
Adjusting	Each new DYB goal builds on what they’ve learned from the last one.	“Next week, I’ll add a 10-minute review right before bed.”

In short, DYB goals shift the focus from “Did I get an A?” to “Did I think it through, learn something, and improve my process?” That mindset helps students become more confident, adaptable, and effective—both in school and in life.

Strengths & Limitations

DYB Goals help students take ownership of their growth by emphasizing effort, perseverance, and self-reflection over external benchmarks. Through DYB Goals, students practice:

Self-Management: Prioritizing effort, setting intentions, and staying committed to their own growth journey.
Adaptability: Shifting goals and strategies as circumstances change.
Self-Reflection: Evaluating progress with honesty and curiosity, not judgment

DYB Goals align with NACE Career Readiness Competencies and 21st Century Skills, especially in areas such as critical thinking, resilience, and adaptability. They emphasize the process of learning—not just the outcome—helping students stay grounded, curious, and motivated.

💡 When to use DYB Goals

Great for: Creative or exploratory learning environments; students managing complex personal contexts.

Less ideal for: Settings that require strict deadlines, accountability to teams, or quantifiable outcomes—where SMART Goals may provide clearer guidance.

Expanding the Framework for Holistic Support

One of DYB’s greatest strengths is its ability to embrace the whole learner.

It allows students to factor in personal responsibilities, emotional well-being, and life’s unpredictability—without feeling like they’ve failed if outcomes shift. The DYB Goals framework helps educators, coaches, and their students:

Facilitate open-ended goal-setting conversations.
Reflect in ways that focus on effort, not just outcomes.
Define what success looks like and clarify the path.

By encouraging students to “do your best” in context—not in comparison—DYB Goals foster confidence, autonomy, and lasting motivation.

Introducing the D.Y.B. Goal Setting Tool for Students

Designed for both academic and co-curricular settings, B Optimal's D.Y.B. Goal Setting Tool helps educators, coaches, and tutors:

Engages students to practice metacognition (thinking about their thinking) by emphasizing self-awareness, strategy, and reflection.
Encourages students to focus on effort and growth—especially when outcomes are uncertain or evolving.
Supports open-ended, strengths-based goal conversations.
Helps students stay grounded, track their progress, and adapt as challenges arise.
Aligns with core career readiness competencies such as resilience, adaptability, and self-management.

The D.Y.B. Goal Setting Tool for Students is especially effective in advising sessions, classroom check-ins, peer mentoring, and group coaching—anywhere students are encouraged to define success on their own terms and commit to doing their best.