Balancing School And Personal Goals: Maximizing Success In The Fin...

The importance of goal setting cannot be overemphasized. As humans, we need to have a sense of direction and purpose. Setting goals can help us navigate life effortlessly. Well, maybe not effortlessly, but it gives us a sense of direction, putting us at a higher chance of achieving our goals. The first time I heard the term “SMART GOALS” was when I joined the newbies initiative program. Thanks to Starstrings01 who taught me the importance of setting SMART goals. There are factors to consider while setting goals, and he made everything clear to us (the members of the program).

The sad truth about life is that: things will not always go your way. You can’t always get what you want. If magic was real and I was a sorcerer, I’d make sure things go my way. Who wouldn’t? At the beginning of this year, I sat down and drafted out the things I would work hard to achieve before the end of this year. I spent days setting those goals. I made sure the goals were clear, precise, measurable, and attainable. I was so sure that nothing could go wrong. Little did I know that everything was about to fall apart. I thought I was the most determined person I know. I thought I could handle anything that life throws my way as long as I stayed determined. I was determined to achieve my goals irrespective of what life throws my way. Soon enough, my effete understanding became apparent when things started to fall apart. Now that I think about it, I should write my version of “ThingFall Apart.”

I planned to handle school and hive simultaneously. I believed that with my determination and consistency, I’d achieve my goals effortlessly, so I drafted out my goals, hoping to smash them one after the other. So, I resumed with my laid down goals in my heart and my strategies at my fingertips. Within me, I felt like I could conquer the world. Things started falling apart when I resumed lectures. It was as if the gods were mad at me. I didn't even have time for myself. I was jumping from one class to another, and from one project to another. Sometimes, I woke up around 8 a.m. and got home past 6. Then, I’d rest a little and start reading.

My school took over everything. I stopped chatting with my City friends. I also stopped posting on Hive. The only time I posted was on Wednesdays. As one of the team leaders of the newbies initiative, it was my duty to make a team report every Wednesday, so I had to make that time out. It was not easy, but I still had to sacrifice some things because I didn’t want to let my team down. I set down a lot of goals, but school/life changed my plans.

Here are some of the goals I drafted out but are yet to achieve.

DREEMPORT

Currently, I feel extremely guilty and mad at myself. I was once an active dreemer. I love Dreemport- it’s like a big family filled with creatives/lovely people. My goal was to become an active Dreemer, but I haven’t achieved that, yet. I don’t even see myself achieving that goal in the next four months. I was determined to become an active member again, but that determination only lasted for the first four days.

REPUTATION

Now, here’s another painful goal that I am yet to achieve. I set a goal to achieve a reputation of 70 before the year runs out. Currently, my reputation is 68. If hadn’t taken that 1 month (or 2) break, I probably would’ve smashed this goal by now. Okay, let me find a motivational quote to cheer me up. “Everything happens for a reason.” Phew! I feel better now.

HIVE POWER

Oh! Yes! There’s this one. I set a goal to achieve 3000 HP before the end of the year. Currently, my HP is ABOUT 2300.

Okay, I’ll stop here, my hands are too weak to type. So, there you have it- some of the goals I’m yet to achieve.

DO YOU THINK THE REMAINING FOUR MONTHS ARE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT HAPPEN?

Honestly, I don’t know. In about 15 days’ time, I’ll be resuming back to school. I don’t know how things would be. I don’t know if I’d go incognito again. So, it’s best I just leave this question unanswered.

JUST HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACHIEVE WITHIN FOUR MONTHS?

Again, I do not know. However, I am ready to give it my best shot. I'm ready to give it my all.

Just this afternoon, I had a similar conversation with @burlarj about handling hive and school, and he said this: “nothing can stop me from posting, there is time for everything, i bet you spare time to bath and eat. you can spare 1 hour for hive too.” Really? I still find it difficult to process how he work things out.