In last week’s article I shared some of the work that we have been doing to prepare for critical incidents in our churches, schools and businesses. These are extremely important efforts that will assist emergency responders in the response and mitigation of tragedies such as those which have occurred throughout our nation in recent years.

As I stated in that article, there are many reasons behind the increase in these violent attacks, and the solutions are by no means any less numerous. One contributing factor which has been presented is mental health.

While I do not purport to be a specialist in the field of psychology, there have been numerous studies which have linked the decrease in mental wellness to the lack of resiliency. The process of resiliency means the ability to endure crisis in a manner which allows the individual to grow from the experience, rather than to allow the experience to negatively impact thoughts and actions.

As I write this article, I am attending a course recently developed by the military which is titled “Master Resiliency Trainer.” It is being held here in Wisconsin and attended by soldiers from around the country as part of an initiative to implement the resiliency philosophy to the brave men and women who serve our country in some of the most demanding conditions.

While I look forward to bringing this training back to my own soldiers, I also feel compelled to share this information with my community in the hope that you will also find value in its many components.

Although the first component, “Goal Setting,” may be best suited for the youth of our community, none of us are too old to establish goals and set forth a plan to reach those goals. They could be very lofty, such as completing a degree or completing a marathon, or they could be something quite subtle and personal, like strengthening your marriage or overcoming a recent setback.

What’s important is that you adhere to the following purpose — to identify, plan for, and commit to the pursuit of a goal that results in more optimal performance, sustained motivation and increased effort.

To provide a road map for success in goal setting, there are seven basic steps:

Define your goal.

Know where you are right now.

Decide what you need to develop.

Make a plan for steady improvement.

Pursue regular action.

Commit yourself completely.

Continually monitor your progress.

It is important to keep in mind that in any goal there will be setbacks, but part of the resiliency philosophy is to recover from those setbacks and re-establish your course, so as to continue down your path to successful completion of that goal.

Next week I will share one of my personal favorite components of resiliency,“Hunting the Good Stuff”

Matt Joski is Kewaunee County Sheriff.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Sheriff: Successful goal setting part of mental health, resiliency