Goals

In careers class, we have been talking about SMART goals and how important it is to set goals. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based goals. My first reaction to making goals was negative. I'm a self-starter and I didn't see the point of listing goals. I get things that need to be done done just because it drives me crazy if they don't get done! For instance, I'm the one that cleans my house. If I didn't, it would be a mess (no one at home seems to mind except me), and I would be going crazy (if you don't believe me, just ask my mom or sister how crazy I can be when it comes to cleaning—I'm pretty much a cleaning Nazi)! I cannot even begin to convey the frustration that comes to me when something is not done...I have literally screamed at my mom for trying to finish the dishes because she does them wrong (and that was maybe a week ago...). Anyway, back to goal setting. We talked about how goals provide a way to focus and concentrate time and energy into specific targets chosen in your life; this is designed to make significant positive impacts in your life. Also, research shows that many people who take just five to ten minutes each month to set goals are more likely to succeed and achieve greater than those who don’t set goals at all. A lot of the time goals are used for motivation…which I don’t get at all; I think it works in the opposite way for me. When I set goals, I just feel like I don’t want to reach the goals anymore; but, when I don’t set goals I feel free to go above and beyond everyone else. I like the feeling of freedom. It’s just like in school; if I feel pressured to get all A’s, then I probably will end up with a B or two. But, if I feel like I can fail a class and I feel like it doesn’t matter, that in itself drives me to really learn…as weird and as opposite as that sounds. I have realized how beneficial goal setting can be though careers class...but for the most part, I think I'll stick to my innate tendencies to just get things done.