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Navy Brat, Ronin Tamez & Goal Setting

This is my first semester of college. I would be lying if these first few weeks have been easy. Juggling a different kind of academic workload, working part time, and training with ROTC is a tad harder than I anticipated. So goals are very necessary in my life, even little ones. My personal favorite, and most hated, goal is to keep my side of the dorm neat. My bed must be made every morning, my clothes placed neatly in the closet, and my desk clear of clutter. It helps an unbelievable amount, I haven't lost anything yet, despite how much I hate reminding myself to clean up. The more clutter you have, the more stressed you feel as deadlines approach. That goal, however inconsequential it may seem, helps me accomplish others.

A goal I set for the semester is to achieve a 3.5 GPA. That might seem impossible, or at least very difficult, with a rigorous course load. My dad has a goofy little saying that makes it much easier. "If you need to eat an elephant, eat it by the spoonful." Make a bunch of easy to reach little goals that will lead up to your large goal. Getting an A in my class is very desirable, but it isn't a small enough goal. Turning in homework on time, talking to every professor or teaching assistant personally, and making sure to schedule in study time, are all little goals that I create for myself in order to reach my end goal, that 3.5 GPA. The smaller, the better. Don't let the big picture loom over you, little accomplishments do feel good and before long, you've accomplished your ultimate goal.

This last goal seems ridiculous, but I need it. For once in my life, I will stay in the same spot for longer than three years. I don't think I've completely realized that yet, because I try to go out and explore the city the way I've explored all the places I've been: a bit frantically. I've moved once every year for the past four. Now I'll be in one place for the same number. Four years is a long time, and I can take my time to see all of Austin. So my last goal is to slow down. Not so slow I move backwards of course, but slow enough that I can realize the little things. Like how the sun rises in Texas at 7:03, and the campus is washed in orange-pink for just a few minutes.

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