I'm gonna ask you a question. And I want you to answer honestly. How many of you set goals? How often? Is it once a year? If it is… I think I know when. New year's resolution? Sound familiar? I'm not going to preach about these resolutions. That's not why I'm writing. I am writing to make a difference. To try and suggest change.
But whether you accept it or not, we all set goals. Whether we know it or not, we all have goals for ourselves… We all see ourselves in a better place, no not heaven, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean more along the lines of a financial place. We all want to be better off. And I am not guaranteeing anything, all I m suggesting, is maybe a change in habit? Maybe something that will help you see your success, no matter how MINOR it may appear.
But how do we do that? SEE success I mean? How about this: a goal journal. And what about keeping it on a word document, a place where it's easily accessed, you can carry it with you-on a thumb drive-and its easily destroyed if you feel you need to. But what IS a goal journal? Has anyone heard of one? Well, I kind of just made one. Made it the way I wanted it. You see, I was in the hospital for two weeks, no need to explain why. But while there, they had us write goals Every morning. A goal for the day. And I was there for two weeks! That's 14 goals! And I reached them almost everyday, it was that easy.
And as a writer, I decided to keep mine in a journal, and not just on some sheet of paper to be thrown away. As a writer, I added to my goals everyday. I added comments on how I achieved them, comments on what obstacles I came across, and other information that would help me face the next day. For like many of us, I was suffering from that attitude of “God, how I hate life!” But it passed. It passed fairly quickly with the help of goal setting. At the time I started I had no idea of what I was gonna do. But as the days passed, and I became an oldie at the hospital, I became more and more aware of symptoms of depression, and anxiety… And I began to learn how combat them with my goals.
So… when I returned home, I immediately started a word document with all the dates of the year, and an introduction by myself, and I just started writing. My entries are never long. I can fit three or four on a page. It'll make it easier to print if I ever decide to. So what am I suggesting here? I'm sure all of you get it. Start goal setting everyday!!! It will make life so much easier. And let me explain why. Or rather how. You see, when starting a goal journal, you want to set three goals for yourself a day. A daily goal. An Academic/ Work goal. And a Stretch goal. These goals combined work together to create an “I can” attitude, so long as you choose positive goals. Here's an example of how I do mine.
Daily Goal Sheet: 01/29/08
Daily Goal: To stay happy
Academic Goal: To achieve 8 assignments in classes today plus workout.
Stretch Goal:To achieve 12 assignments… 6 in each of the classes I am currently not suspended from.
Notes: I achieved 8 assignments today, and thus met my academic goal. And I did stay happy for the majority of the day. None the less, I was very proud of myself for accomplishing my 8 assignments, as was mom and Dad. And I worked out!!!
You see? A daily goal sets the mood for the day. How are you going to approach it? How do you want to face the day? Positive or negative attitude? And when you're in a depression, and we all have our down days, you have to remember to think positive. Whether you mean it or not, set your goal for something positive, and just TRY to work on it.
An academic goal is also a work goal. I happen to still be in High School, I am a senior and I'm graduating in May, woohooo! Anyways, if you work, set a goal for you job. If you work claims… Know how many claims you need to get done, and set your goal for what you want to get done. Remember, always set your goal higher than what you are able to achieve on a regular basis… and why?
