On the TV show "The Biggest Loser," one of the participants told himself and his family that his goal was to be in the final four. When he said this, it got me thinking why not have your goal be to win the entire show? You know usually that is a person's goal. To win. However, as I thought about this idea, I recalled setting goals for myself. When you set a goal, usually you hope to accomplish something that will satisfy you. A medical student, for instance, shouldn't set a goal to find a cure to a disease until she passes medical school and starts working on patients and doing research. Being in finals week, I could set a goal for myself to study all of my economics on one day; but, the chances of that goal actually being accomplished are slim merely because of reality: there is a lot of information to cover. Also, if you set a goal for yourself that is clearly too far out of reach, you may try to reach that goal. While trying to reach it, you may accomplish a greater quantity with minimal quantity. Although you don't want to set a goal out of reach, you also don't want to set a goal that is too easy to accomplish because that will not be satisfying once you accomplish it.
In my opinion, the guy on "The Biggest Loser" had a very positive, rational outlook on life. Entering the show with many contestants, he didn't set his goal outside of his reach. And look at him now: he IS one of the final four. Now that he has gotten to that goal, he can reevaluate and set an even higher goal. I have taken him as a role model. I made a schedule for myself for this week because I have no classes and my first final isn't until Saturday. So I set goals for each day. While making it I tried to be rational, because otherwise I would just get frustrated with myself for not having accomplished my goal rather than being proud and satisfied with the great amount that I did accomplish.
So while the saying does go, reach for the stars, don't reach for them if they are not within your grasp. Don't try and achieve something that from the start you don't believe you can achieve. Set goals but don't set them out of your reach because then you'll never strive for them nor believe that you can attain them. And believe in yourself. Have faith and pride in what you do, otherwise what is the use in doing it.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
"No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
Today, I awoke energy-less. Nonetheless, I lifted myself from my bed and told myself Today is going to be a good day. Even though I felt physically exhausted, through positive thinking, I psyched myself into believing that my body was full of energy and enthusiasm. The psychology and cognitive processes of humans is fascinating: how we can change our mindset merely through positive mental perseverance.
We all have bad days and good days. Often bad days are marked by low energy and limited significant events; good days by high energy and productivity. Although, I have learned through experience and my upbringing that just because you don't physically have a lot of energy doesn't mean you cannot thrust energy upon yourself. How we feel on a given day is characterized by our physical well-being but also by our mental well-being. Just through mental energy and thinking, we can turn a bad situation into a learning experience; a day with two-hours worth of sleep into full of energy; or a challenge into a defeat. It is all about how you look at life. If you think you are going to mess up on a presentation, more likely than not that thinking will cause you to mess up. If you don't believe in yourself and the positive that can come from life, you will have greater difficulty succeeding and life will not seem as rewarding. It's all about what you convince yourself.
So even though one day may not be the best for you, lift your head up and make it a good day. Don't let something be out of your reach; control your mind and life. And if you don't do or say what you wanted to today, there's always tomorrow. As Maya Angelou said (referring to the quote at the beginning), life goes on.
Today, I awoke energy-less. Nonetheless, I lifted myself from my bed and told myself Today is going to be a good day. Even though I felt physically exhausted, through positive thinking, I psyched myself into believing that my body was full of energy and enthusiasm. The psychology and cognitive processes of humans is fascinating: how we can change our mindset merely through positive mental perseverance.
We all have bad days and good days. Often bad days are marked by low energy and limited significant events; good days by high energy and productivity. Although, I have learned through experience and my upbringing that just because you don't physically have a lot of energy doesn't mean you cannot thrust energy upon yourself. How we feel on a given day is characterized by our physical well-being but also by our mental well-being. Just through mental energy and thinking, we can turn a bad situation into a learning experience; a day with two-hours worth of sleep into full of energy; or a challenge into a defeat. It is all about how you look at life. If you think you are going to mess up on a presentation, more likely than not that thinking will cause you to mess up. If you don't believe in yourself and the positive that can come from life, you will have greater difficulty succeeding and life will not seem as rewarding. It's all about what you convince yourself.
So even though one day may not be the best for you, lift your head up and make it a good day. Don't let something be out of your reach; control your mind and life. And if you don't do or say what you wanted to today, there's always tomorrow. As Maya Angelou said (referring to the quote at the beginning), life goes on.
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