Second Semester Resolutions
Decide what your goals are and do everything in your power to reach them!
February 22, 2023
This semester I made a design that I wanted to make some changes to. I tried to change my study habits, my schedule, and my mental health. The first semester of my junior year taught me how important it is to balance your life and school and the effect of not taking breaks. I made the decision with three of my friends that we would all make a list of things we wanted to change/do in the second semester and agreed to hold each other accountable.
Doing this is something I highly recommend for a number of reasons; first off, just the idea of pinpointing what you want and deciding how you will get it is so impactful. I constantly have these goals coming to mind and when I even slightly reach them the feeling of success is immeasurable. Most people do not stick to their resolutions. It often feels forced, and it’s hard to muster up the motivation to make a change in our comfortable lives, but if you can really hold yourself up to your goal and persevere, things will change for the better.
Additionally, I recommend writing down your goals because it narrows your priorities and provides encouragement and excitement. Written goals force you to choose specific and measurable goals that are important to you in the long-term and short term. In fact, research has shown that individuals with written goals achieved approximately 50% more of their goals than those without written plans. A written goal ensures that you identify accomplishments that will ultimately prove most meaningful and impactful to you.
Additionally, just the idea of goal setting can be very advantageous.
- Assessment- Setting goals allows you to evaluate your life, see where you are now, and decide where you want to be in the future. Assessing your current situation also helps you to become aware of how your strengths and weaknesses can better benefit you. You can identify the obstacles preventing you from achieving your goal and begin a plan to overcome them.
- Direction- You now have a goal to strive towards and once you know where you are going, it is easier to get there.
- Focus- When you set your prerogatives, you can concentrate your attention on actions and ideas that align with your goal.
- Inspiration- An established goal fills you with excitement and anticipation of fulfilling your goal.
- Happiness- This point is the most important. Once you set and achieve your goals, the sense of personal pride makes it all worth it.
One of the people who I had set my goal with, Hannah Jebelli (11) commented, “I really do think that doing this with others and pinpointing my goals will allow me to be very successful in the second semester.” I believe that setting personal goals is super important and I hope this article convinces you to do so!
