Goals Straight Ahead

Keeping Our Dreams In Mind

Lets Remember Why We Get Up Every Day

"If you want to make your dreams true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."

- J.M. Powers

Life often seems like a never ending road. We keep going and going and forget what we want, forget why we get up every day, forget our purpose. I find myself questioning why do I continue to pursue my education? Why do I fight stay healthy when it seems so much easier to get sick? Why do I stand up for my beliefs when it's simpler to give in? Why do I get up every day? At times life seems futile. At times it feels impossibly difficult. And occasionally I wonder, what it is the point? It's at these times that I have to think about my life- the people, the things, my passions, my desires- and remind myself of my goals. Keeping my dreams in mind enables me to out of my bed every morning, fight the cold, wait on line for coffee, schlep to class, and complete my piles of work. Ultimately our dreams are the reasons why we get up every day. We can't afford to forget them because if we do we have lost a significant source of motivation. 

Goals Straight Ahead

"A realistic, attainable, challenging and desirable goal creates energy and enthusiasm."

- David Lawrence Preston

Preston also recognizes the motivating power of a goal. We attain energy and enthusiasm in pursuit of our goals. The energy awakens us, drives us to keep going, working hard, and moving forward. The enthusiasm allows us to become engulfed in the required tasks to achieve our goals, passionate about the work that needs to be completed, and helps us to do these things to the best of our abilities.

In order to help me keep my dreams and goals in mind I have created two brief lists. One list consists of my short-term or immediate goals while the others lists my long-term goals.

Short-term Goals                                                                               

• Finish the Fall Semester
• Be home for Christmas
• Become comfortable with my body again
• Be healthy enough to take care of my kitten, Milly
• Find something to be happy about every day

As I have said many times before Christmas is my favorite holiday and I can't miss it again this year. I long to be in the comfort of my Aunt's warm home, with my family, surrounded by festive decorations and an infinite amount of love. I want to be healthy enough to take care of Milly. If I get sick again there are two options for her- return to the refuge or live with my parents. Neither choice would be fair to her. She has come to rely on me, she follows me around, waits for me at the door, and I can feel how much loves me although she is unable to say it. I can't allow her to go back to her tiny cage in the refuse. And although she is comfortable in my home, with my parents, I know that she would miss me in my absence. Whenever I leave her I always say, "I promise I'll be back," and can't break that promise by abandoning her if I were to get sick again. Finally I want to find something to be happy about every single day even if it is just for a moment. It doesn't matter the source- a good grade, a funny memory, a conversation with my mom, a cute child- as long as it makes me smile I have achieved my goal.

Long-term Goals

New York City, Central Park

• Finish my Undergraduate and pursue Graduate School
• Speak French fluently
• Live in New York City
• Get married and have a family- be healthy enough to have and raise my children
• Be happy in my life and with what I have

My undergraduate career has taken a long a disjointed course. I often get discouraged and feel as if I will never finish. But I have done so much and come so far that I can't permit myself to give up. It is difficult for me to continue as a student when most of my peers are years younger than me and friends my own age are moving on to new things in their lives. But I know that I owe it to myself and to my intelligence to complete my undergraduate education and move on to an even higher level of education that is more specific to my academic interests and ultimately my career. Another of my main long-term desires is to have a family. I always joke that my maternal clock started ticking well before it should have but part of my believe this to be the truth. I dream of being a mother, being pregnant, creating life, and caring for children of my own. I know that in order to create my own family I must keeping my eating disorder at bay. Anorexia can cause infertility and refuse to let my illness interfere with my dream of motherhood. Lastly, I would like to be happy in my life. This goal builds upon my short term goal of finding something to be happy about everyday. Ultimately I would like to be truly happy in life and with what I have. I don't expect to be happy every minute of every day but I would like to be able to say that I have more good days than bad days. And don't want my so-called bad days to debilitate me as they do now. 

Remember your dreams and goals-

"By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be"

- Mark Victor

These goals, short-term and long-term, are the reasons that I wake up every morning and keep going no matter how difficult it is. If I have them written out right in front of me I will always remember why I get up every day.  And, as Victor says, by writing out our dreams, we have already begun the process of achieving them, simply by recognizing and recording them. It is too easy to get caught up in the crazy whirlwind of life. We continue to do things, say things, and fulfill responsibilities and in the process we forget why! If we forget the "why?" it becomes easy to fall into the trap of depression, hopelessness, and futility. We need to remember our goals in order to keep going. They can act as motivators for us when we feel weak, incapable, uncertain, or pessimistic. Try writing two lists- short-term and long-term- in order to remind yourself of your goals and bring your dreams to the forefront of your mind. If you have your goals staring you in the face you will never forget the "why?" Once we have managed to answer the why by keeping our dreams in mind we can move on to our final question, which happens to come in the form of a quote-

"How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to?"

- Anthony Robbins

I chose to use Robbins quote as my final question because honestly I don't feel I could have said it better myself. However, I would like to expand the time frame and instead ask: How am I going to live in the present in order to create the future I'm committed to? What are we going to do right now, later today, tomorrow, in a month, in order to achieve the goals we have recorded on our lists? I know that for me personally a lot of my goals are dependent upon my ability to stay healthy. In the present I am going to continue to eat to the best of my ability, continue to take the advice of my doctors and team, reach out to family and friends when I am struggling, seek help if and when I need it, maintain a weight that does not jeopardize my physical health. However, there are things I must do in the present that don't relate to my health and well-being. I must remain dedicated to my school work. I should create connections with professors and teaching assistants. I should spend time with friends and maintain my social connections. I will continue to journal, blog, and make time to do other things that fill me with a sense of calm. If I stay true to these statements then I should be able to create the future I'm committed to and attain all of my goals. 

"What must you do?"

What must you do in the present in order to create the future that you desire? Do you merely need to continue what you are currently doing or do you need to change your actions or behavior? Do you need support from friends and/or help from a professional in order to turn your dreams into a reality? Don't be afraid to ask for guidance. Don't be nervous about taking extreme measures. Don't hesitate to make a change. If you are truly passionate about your dreams and goals you will do whatever it takes in order to fulfill them! Make your lists and then don't waste a second to start chasing your dreams!


"Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it."

- Dr. Wayne Dyer

Don't neglect your dreams because they are what drives you,
xo

27 Days Til Christmas Eve, 28 Days Til Christmas

Children's dreams at Christmas time-

All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey