#this is a new milestone in my learning to draw progress: a whole human body that looks ok! I am staring at it like narcissus in the pond

[anodymalion]

all of the GLaDOS final battle voice lines are so so so good but this one is my very favorite

[kindofseoul-blog]

be a (smart) goal digger

in all my twelve years of public education, one of the few things i remember is my freshman health class. not only because it brought about a whole new level of teenage cringe and the raw awkwardness of the human body, but also because it taught me a little bit about how to approach life. stds and nutrition aside (not that those aren’t important to be informed of) my gym teacher talked a lot about goal setting.

what’s so hard about goal setting? you ask. well, depending on how you structure your goals and visualize them, your chances of success can increase. (note: not a proven science, but i’ll just base it off my own personal experience.) i’ve noticed over the years that i’m more likely to achieve something if i can visualize it.

this is achieved by setting small, tangible goals and giving yourself realistic timelines. humans strive for progress we can see, which is precisely why ‘getting fit’ is such a hard resolution to stick with. this is why it’s important to be specific in your goals.

consider it this way: these small goals are the stepping stones to the bigger picture. you have to work your way up to the penthouse, and then you can look back at how far you’ve come. (started from the bottom, now we’re here) sounds hella romantic, right? that’s the american dream™. hard work shows results, you just have to be willing to take the time to bring them to the spotlight.

so i’ve talked a lot about goal setting, but with little or no specifics. so, i’ll shut my motivational trap before i go off on a tangent (again) and just get on with the post. 

the basics of goal setting

first things first (i’m a realist and i realize that it’s currently 2019, but i’m not ashamed of that one) think of your end goal

what do you want accomplish overall, when all the workbooks are finished, the books are shut and the notebooks are filled? 

what is your dream? the passion that keeps you up at night? the little lightbulb that just won’t leave you alone? 

visualize it and use that as your motivation when you’re burnt out, when you’re doubting yourself, when you’re ready to quit. 

make it strong and make it yours

second, break it down into small little steps

chop that goal up like it’s a vegetable and gordan ramsay is yelling at you to dice it before the soup burns

make a game plan! draw out how you’re going to approach the offensive line (yay for sports reference)

the key here is make these into to measurable milestones 

these help you to visualize your progress and keep yourself accountable 

like i said, humans like results and without some type of proof of your labor, you’re twice as likely to get discouraged and give up 

we don’t want to throw away all that hard work for nothing!

here’s a example of small stepping goals :

say i’m learning korean

then some of my goals might look like: learning the vowels of hangul by the end of the week, completing the level one text book in three months or watching the first few minutes of a kdrama without subtitles

you want to choose things that are physical; something your can witness with your own eyes

third, give yourself a deadline

the final tip for the first part of the series, yay!

but if you’re a procrastinator like me, then you know work won’t truly get done until it’s 2 am and you’re staring a deadline in the face

it explains my general state of sleep deprevation, but i have yet to completely change my ways on this

anyways, no one else knows your schedule like you do

you know you’re limits too

so keep that in mind when you start setting these goals

it helps to create a timeline; take a year, a month, a week, whichever suits your final goal the best

then look at your schedule and i mean really look

this is where you get the biggest bang for your buck

you need to be realistic of the time you have and how you’re likely to spend it

don’t schedule three workouts in a day if you know that you’ve got a 8 am class and an essay due

be honest with yourself (keep in mind the time you allot for socializing, school functions and me time)

and it doesn’t have to be hours at a time, your can schedule vocab review on your bus ride to work or play a podcast while you’re getting ready in the morning

it’s all about managing your time and being reasonable

woah, that’s a lot. gosh i hope i remember to save a copy of this later, because it’s like 3 am and i want to go to bed. anyways, i hope you enjoy the first content post for this blog. i’m sorry that it got a little wordy, but apparently i had a lot more to say than i thought. anyways, let me know if you guys liked this and/or want to see more? comments, questions and smiles are always welcome.

you got this!

— mia, a very tired human