My Semester Goals: SENIOR FALL?????
Can anyone believe it's about to be my SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE? I certainly can't. It's insane to sit down and consider that I'm about to finish the biggest and most expensive undertaking of my life.
I've kind of gone into most semesters flying blind at school. I'm really bad at being intentional with my school, so I'm setting exactly 5 goals for the semester. There's one for each of the main categories of my life. They're kind of the big five: Academic, Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Financial. (We all have these, although next semester I suspect I'll have to add another category: career. That feels wildly vomit inducing and I hate the idea, but there's only so much a girl can do to keep herself from getting a job).
Let's talk about my goals!
1. Academic: Finish Senior Fall with a 4.0 GPA (FOR THE SEMESTER).
I've never gotten a 4.0 semester. I've not really come super close, if I'm being entirely honest. My best semester so far is around a 3.75, which is still REALLY good considering everything I've been doing--BUT I'd like to do better, and I know I'm capable. This semester, especially, is one where I'm taking only things that I will enjoy and I know I can do well in. I've had all the professors before, and I'm really really planning to work hard to give myself this boost.
Action steps: dedicated study time, planning ahead on papers, and having planned writing days for the research projects I'm undertaking.
2. Spiritual: Start going to adult Sunday School and doing one other church thing per week at school.
I finally found a great church in my college town at the end of my sophomore year. While it's a solid half-hour drive from campus (which is brutal, especially when I'm exhausted from midterms), it's entirely worth the drive. I love this community, and I really want to be more invested there this year. They do adult Sunday school, which feels like a good place to start, and I'm really excited to get involved with that.
3. Physical: 3 workout plan every week.
I love going to the gym. (Is that a toxic trait?) Weightlifting, the elliptical, the treadmill, all that stuff--I LOVE it. I'm a gym rat and I can think of nothing better than throwing heavy things around. But I do have to say that it gets really hard to find the time as school progresses, which means: intentionality! If I can't go in the morning, I have to go in the evening. If I can't go Wednesday, guess I'll have to get up early and go Thursday. I want to prioritize my health, and that means being intentional, long and short of it. I might look at getting an accountability partner. All that good stuff.
4. Emotional: actual willingness to change when it comes to therapy/cousnseling/etc.
I came to some very (not) fun conclusions about my mental health this past year. Turns out, "toxic stress" and "trauma" are real and not just character traits to throw into novels? (For legal reasons, this is a joke.) I've been going to counseling for a while, and I think I need to do more with that this next year--but also some full on therapy and trauma treatment type stuff. That's about as honest as I'm willing to be right now over here, but I've finally reached a point where I want to get better, and that's a very big and important step, I think.
5. Financial: stop obsessing over money.
"Wait, Faith, isn't this a negative goal?" Yes and no. I've been determined to graduate with as little debt as possible for the longest time, but now that it's clear I'll still have some, I've realized I need to stop running myself into the ground for that goal. I won't be able to enjoy my time in college if I'm just trying to pay for it the whole time, and part of the reason I went to the school I did was for the experience. If I were trying to be fInAnCiALlY rEsPoNsIbLe and nothing else, I could've just gone to school online for far, far cheaper. For some people, I'm sure that's an obvious conclusion, but I need to get there still. Better late than never, right?
That's about all I've got for you right now, but I'd love to hear if you have any big, important goals for the next few months. I love the idea of setting goals for seasons, and that's something I'm trying to do better about. Yearly goals are great--but small goals are also great. Tell me about your hopes and dreams down below!
2 comments
I love all of this so much, Faith. I'm SO proud of you for taking these steps--it's so inspiring. I'm praying for you as you step into this next season. I know God has incredible things ahead. <3
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to me that you're a senior, if only because I'm a junior this year, and for some reason I hadn't processed that we're that close in age?? I'm also trying to be more intentional this year (although I try that every year, but THIS YEAR I have more things I want to be intentional about. XD) in a variety of areas.
ReplyDelete(I have to say, I am the opposite of you in terms of the gym. I HATE exercising, and I hate the gym even more. So my plan this semester is to trick myself into exercising by just...walking a lot every day. XD)
I hope all of your goals come to fruition!
Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)