Gunhee Lee, Period 1, 10/19/2021

Goal Setting and Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why

A goal I have for myself right now is to make it so that I won’t have anything I regret later on. Coming right off of a second place finish at a fencing tournament, followed by a match against Brooklyn Tech where I individually performed well, but we still lost the match, it can be tough to avoid thinking about what could’ve been. Furthermore, with college application deadlines coming up soon, it’s very easy to regret not doing more of them over the summer, or look back if I don’t get into one of my top choices for colleges and wish I had just done more.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I’ve recently begun cutting down on the time I spend doing things I do recreationally, such as playing video games or talking to my friends online in order to do my homework and do as much of my college applications as I can. I know that in order to not have any regrets later on, I need to do as much as I can now. Furthermore, in terms of fencing, I make sure I’m not doing things half heartedly, whether it is at practice, a match or a tournament. While I’m leading exercises, I make sure I’m leading by example. I believe that diligence now is the only way you can avoid regret later on.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

During my fencing tournament on Sunday, I cruised through the earlier rounds before losing very hard in the finals to a junior who had beat me in another tournament 2 years prior. This just showed me how much work I had to do in order to get at the level I can be at in order to not have rewards. Even today during the match against Brooklyn Tech, I fenced well, but not well enough in order to get us the win. Although it is a team sport, and I can’t score all 90 touches on my own, I know I could have done more to get us that win. Also, seeing people already turn in their college applications is quite humbling, as I pour so much time into writing my essays, and yet I never seem to be able to make much progress. The world around me just gives me a reference point to keep me in check.