We all have hopes and dreams for the future – goals to reach. As such, there’s always something to strive for be it education, work, love etc. That’s just how we humans function – we want to accomplish something with our lives. We want to make a difference for ourselves (and, hopefully, also for others). We want to live… And living in the 21st century, we have a lot of comprehensive possibilities out there for us. So when it comes to setting and reaching goals, I’ve found that you can’t really do without a certain amount of determination. It’s determination that drives the motivation to success and keeps you moving forward through challenging times, slowly but surely, step by step. Obviously, there are challenges linked to reaching a goal. However, often also opportunities that we forget to reflect on. Hence, depending on your world view: Is the glass half full or half empty? How much do you want to reach your goal? And how do you react to challenges along the way? With obstacles, it’s easy to become doubtful about your goal and how to reach it, maybe even questioning whether or not to continue chasing it. It’s not that I can’t follow that line of thought, however, if you quit every time things are tough, then you’ll never push yourself far enough to do something new – something important. So how will you learn and acquire new understanding or, simply, develop as a human being? You’ll need not only goals but also challenges for this – and overcoming these challenges. Because, if you think about it, overcoming obstacles shapes us and equips us with tools that we can apply to move forward with in future challenging situations.
In moments of doubt, I always ask myself why I’m trying to reach my goal – what’s in it for me? As such, it works for me to be reminded of the goal and how reaching it would change my life for the better. As a result, I like sharing my goals with friends and family. Having people ask me about how things are going in relation to a specific goal motivates me. And when it comes to challenges along the way, I stay positive – whatever it takes. In that sense, challenges actually increase my motivation to succeed – especially if the challenges are other people. Challenges keep me focused on my goal. So despite setbacks, I always have my goal clear in mind. Moreover, I like to plan, so planning how to reach my goal helps me stay motivated as well. Depending on my goal, the plan isn’t all scheduled out with step by step approaches on how to get there, rather it’s a draft. I’m not discouraged if the plan doesn’t work, then I’ll just make another one. I will get there, that’s for sure. And that’s the other thing, believing in myself and the fact that I will get there if I work hard enough for it – whatever it takes. Although, sometimes I do find myself working hard to get somewhere or to achieve something and then it’s not accomplished. However, that doesn’t have to be a sign for not continuing pursuing my goal, on the contrary. In those times, I choose to be optimistic. Thinking that there’s a meaning with everything helps me. So instead of giving up, I try my best to turn a negative experience into something positive and ask myself: What can I learn from this? And how will me overcoming this obstacle help me reach my goal in the future? Positive thinking. The key for me is to stay motivated – whatever it takes. Therefore, learning to perceive challenges and obstacles as stepping stones on my way to reaching my goal is an important aspect. After all, I do believe everything including good and bad comes into my life for a reason. There’s a deeper meaning with it – a lesson to be learned. Optimism, simply, helps me cope with these obstacles and stay positive about bumps along the way. By taking action and working hard for my goal in pure determination, I’m certain, I’ll reach it – whatever it takes.
My determination to reach my goals works for me. Not only have I learned to take care of myself by not relying on others I’ve also become quite independent at an early age. Moreover, despite my childhood and upbringing, I’ve learned to become a woman in touch with her feelings and risen above the road I was given. Furthermore, I’ve not only earned myself a BA and MA degree and studied abroad three times during these, I have also received a total of thirteen scholarships for my abroad stays. Finally, I’ve not only had three relevant student jobs during my studies, I have also had an interesting and useful internship. So when it comes to the future, I’m not afraid. I’m sure there’ll be lots of great challenges as well as opportunities for me out there to experience and learn from that will allow me to grow into the woman I wish to become and have the career I wish to have.
xo P!
Wanderlust: Becoming a Traveler 