Jason Lu, Period 7, 5/12/2022

 Goal Setting & Growth

1. At this current point in time, what specific goals do you have for yourself? Why?

• The overarching objective of my goals as a whole at this moment are far less academic based, not just because the AP tests have resolved, but because of a change in my mindset. I’ve come to realize the importance of my own emotional & mental wellbeing, in addition to the effects a lack of can have on me, and how it should take priority over purely academic pursuits. I’ve focused on expanding my understanding of myself, working on my hobbies and participating in more social activities.
  The goals I have for myself are never limited to the school - year, rather, my goals are more long-term. Though my senior year is coming to a close, my goals are looking ahead to my college years, and general hopes I have for myself. 

2. How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving these goals? 

• I think it can certainly be very hard, realizing your role in the grand scale of the world, to maintain motivation towards goals. Even on a more local scale, the people around me often give me feelings of inferiority, and though for many this acts as a motivator, to me it does the opposite. However, I think my social circle has helped me develop some solid ground for myself, and has brightened my expectations, which has both led me to create/revise some of my goals, and to continue them. 

3. How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal?

• As I mentioned in the previous point, difficulty often arises from the fact that I, and many others, focus on the comparison between ourselves, our abilities, and others. It’s often said that there’ll always be someone better than you, but frequently when it’s a person that exists within the boundaries of your personal life, there’s an evaporation of feelings of uniqueness and purpose.
  However, for me at least, I’ve been lucky to have a good friend’s group, where I don’t feel an overwhelming need to top everyone in some skill, as each individual is special in their own way (not to sound too cheesy). We each try our best to make each other feel important and valued within the group, which helps us hold each other together from spiraling downward.