Goals

Setting goals is probably one of the most important things a person can do in life. Everyone should have goals for themselves no matter if they are short-term goals, mid-term goals, or long-term goals. Setting goals is critical to life because everyone should have something to look forward to in the near future or the distant future. No matter what life is like right now, the future will be brighter and filled with hope, joy, and peace. The tears will be eventually gone, and everything that is happening right now will disappear. It is important to start making goals as soon as possible. However, they must be realistic. I cannot say I want to be president in thirty years if I hate public speaking in front of large crowds, and I dislike politics. Find something that you are passionate about and set your goals around your passions. My passion is writing. So, my goal is to become a newspaper writer. My soul is in playing the piano. Therefore, one of my goals is to continue playing piano for God and others and to continue to write music. In addition, goals should have time frames. This helps give a sense of achievement. For example, I want to graduate from the University of Minnesota with a Journalism major in four years, and after that, I plan to start working for the Star Tribune. There are exceptions to the rules though. Sometimes, it is okay to have life-long goals. To illuminate, another one of my goals is to exercise daily and to eat healthy by avoiding fatty foods as much as possible. Another life-long goal I have is to continually develop a personal relationship with Jesus on my daily walk with Him. This last goal is specifically significant to me because it has many goals wrapped up in one. To develop this relationship, I want to read through the entire Bible fully understanding what I read. Plus, I want to play, as well as write piano compositions in order to praise God's name and to spread the Light of Jesus Christ. Accomplishing goals helps build confidence, and it helps me to see myself grow as a person. If I do fail in meeting one of my goals, even if it is a simple one, I do not give up. Failure is a natural thing in life. Everyone fails at something once in awhile. Failure is a learning experience. It is a way to prove to myself that impossible does not exist if I give things my best and try my hardest. No matter how skilled I may think I am, everyone needs practice. I think the only way to practice something is to practice, practice, and practice. Repetition is key. If I figure something out once, I do it again and again and again. This helps construct confidence and benefits my self-esteem. I remember in high school and junior high I was not the best of a writer. I made many grammar mistakes, my wording was hard to understand, and my writing structure was unclear and rough. In high school, I wanted to improve my writing more than anything else in the world. I wanted to be this magnificent writer. I payed extra attention to teachers' comments and to ideas from my peers. I gave extra time to proofreading and revising the spelling and grammatical mistakes. Even during the summer, I went to the park down by my house just to sit underneath a tree and began writing. In high school, I did whatever it took to become a writer. I made every effort to show myself that this is my special talent. To this day, I constantly look back at what I wrote, and I can see my improvements over the years. It is an amazing feeling to know what I am capable of. Now, I am in college. I admit my writing skills need a lot of help, criticism, and improvement, but that is why I came to the University of Minnesota. I needed help from some of the best professors in the country from one of the top academic schools in the nation. I never gave up on my writing, and I never will. Writing is my passion, my desire, and a part of my soul. This is why I am interested in the school of Journalism at the U of M. This school has a lot to offer, and I feel like I have a lot to gain from attending the Journalism school. I have much to learn, but I am willing and open to the possibilities and the opportunities that become available to me.