Rachel Yang, Period 7, 11/17/21

 

Rachel Yang Period 7 11/17/21

Goal Setting & Growth

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

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

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

    As my high school journey slowly starts to come to its end, my current goal is to live in the moment by managing my stress better. Although the phrase “live in the moment” may be a cliche, it truly summarizes how I want to make the most of my last year here at Tech. Prior to senior/junior year, I had stressed my academics over every other aspect of my life. If I saw anything other than the bright blue squares on PupilPath, it would stress me out for a while. While in the moment the high grades were all that mattered, I realized that all the academic pressure I placed on myself caused me to miss out on the fun parts of highschool. Once everything turned remote, I had regrets about not joining in on certain school activities, team traditions, or even just small hangouts with my friends. However, instead of dwelling on things I missed out on, things I can’t change, I’ve decided to focus on things I can control: the way I choose to spend my remaining time at Tech. 

 In theory, this goal sounds simple, but my environment as well as other important priorities cause an obstacle. As college applications deadlines quickly approach with the combination of my load of normal schoolwork and the commitment track requires, it would be a lie to say stress levels haven’t been high and that I’m currently fully enjoying this year. Though factors like these have made my goal more difficult, it hasn’t steered me away from it. I have found small ways like utilizing my free periods before practice to spend time with friends or even just staying after practice for a few extra minutes as ways to prevent myself from being too overwhelmed with the academics in my life. 

The advice from other people in the world around me has also helped me keep this goal and mindset through the past few months. Fortunately, I have been able to grow up in a family that stresses the importance of one’s happiness from things they want rather than the constant pressure to live up to someone else’s standards. This value has helped me feel more sure in my own goal as I slowly lighten the academic pressure I held upon myself. In addition, the words from mentors and previous bosses helped me realize that there's still years ahead of me. Though people have previously told me that multiple times, the advice never really resonated until recently as I started to worry over who I wanted to become after high school. As my senior progresses, I hope to successfully keep this goal in the back of my mind.