Vanessa Tam, Period 1, 5/27/22

Growth & Goal Setting

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?)

When I glance over my initial goals from the beginning of the year, I’m amazed by how ambitious I was. I notice that a lot of the motivation and ambition I’ve had back then slowly dissipated. I had dozens of goals, most seemed attainable to September-me, and looking back, they do still seem attainable if I had put in all my effort to achieving them. A few months ago, I came across a video on procrastination; the narrator of the video explained why procrastination may be effective for some people, as well as how to utilize the “sense of urgency,” a procrastination tactic, to develop better study habits. Many of the goals I’ve set in my blog had no due dates or deadlines. Two of the goals were related to dance and reading . I didn’t have any upcoming dance performances since I stopped going to the studio, so there was no need for me to learn challenging acrobatic tricks other than for my own satisfaction. Similarly, I didn’t have any impending reading examinations I needed to ace, so I didn’t have any reason to speed through all the books I’ve bought. Since I felt little to no sense of urgency for many of these goals, I, like many, procrastinated. 

After seeing how enthusiastic I was in my first blog, I believe I’ve acquired a little more motivation to pursuit the same goals, as well as new ones. I still pushed myself to take part in as many dance-related activities as I could, whether it was dancing with cover groups or performing in multiple dances at the Multicultural Show. But, because they were primarily hip hop or urban, neither of which had any choreography that required much flexibility, I didn’t feel the need to work on my flexibility, and as a result, my flexibility suffered greatly. With the upcoming senior showcase, I’ll be compelled to stretch for at least an hour every day for the next several days, as one of the dances I’ll be performing in demands a great deal of flexibility, and hopefully this will become a habit rather than a chore. In terms of reading, whether it’s by setting a schedule for myself or reading with a friend, I’ll find a way to create a false sense of urgency to push myself to finish all seven books I’ve purchased this summer. I’m certain that once I start to read it, I’ll finish it in no time. Along with these goals, I hope to enjoy the final weeks of my senior year before we start college in September. Like many high school seniors, I also hope to spend as much time as I could with my friends before we go our separate ways. I aim to check of every single thing I have on my bucket list these next two months. Because there is a deadline now, I’ll feel obligated to complete this bucket list mission, and as a result, I will do so.