This afternoon as I was cleaning out my closet, I ran across a list of goals that I must have set sometime in college, probably (if my guess is accurate) the summer before senior year. I found some of them encouraging, some of them depressing, and some of them rather humorous, so I thought I'd share.
1. I will graduate from ORU, summa cum laude, with my English Lit. major and my Music and Communication Arts minors.
Yes. And what a joyous (and sleepy) day that was!
2. I will successfully defend and earn an A on my senior paper.
Yes. But oh, what a journey it was! I can honestly look back on that time and thank God that Dr. Hall directed my senior paper--for many reasons, but mostly because he pushed me as no other prof had done to become a better researcher, a better organizer, a better editor, and a better writer. Though, as I imagine many who have also been through a vigorous research project would attest, the path to the "better you" (and completed project) is an arduous and painful one.
3. I will have read the complete works of Shakespeare by January 1, 2001.
Um, no. I really did start, though. My bookmark is there, near the end of the comedies section. I think I lost my motivation knowing all the histories were next. Hmm. Should really pick that up again sometime. It's still a life goal to say I've read all his works.
4. I will have a story published in a magazine by January 1, 2001.
Again, no. Never even tried. Though I have presented two conference papers in the meantime, so maybe that counts for something.
5. I will keep my plant alive until December 1999.
This is the one that makes me chuckle. For those of you who don't know, I am a terrible plant-keeper. I don't water them, and they die. This particular plant had been my friend through college, and I came very close to killing it many times--reviving it again at the last minute. Unfortunately, it died a painful, neglected death sometime when I lived in the duplex.
6. I will exercise 5 days a week for the rest of the summer.
Did I? Who can remember such things? I've had good seasons and bad seasons since.
7. I will graduate from the Institute of Children's Literature.
Yes, finally. They were very gracious in offering me many extensions. It was through my work with them that I first became able to identify with many of the struggles of our distance students.
8. I will have published a book that will be released no later than January 1, 2004.
Oh, the complacency that hits us when we least expect it...and probably because we least expect it. I compose papers for class. I attempt to spill nice words into a blog.... My writing has, sadly, had no greater focus than this in the post-college years.
9. I will be accepted into Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.
Yes, indeed. Even though they misspelled my name on my official certificate (and therefore, my name was not noted with a Who's Who asterisk in my commencement program...not that it really matters, but it sort of did at the time).
So, all in all, not too terrible, though the goals I have not attained are the ones I feel most strongly that I should have pursued more vigilantly. After all, school is easy to "pursue." It's something like writing a book that, for me, requires true discipline.
What about you? Any goals (fulfilled or unfulfilled) that you'd care to share?
1 comment:
Maybe it's the whole fear of failure thing, but I don't tend to set goals (beyond "Okay, this must get done tonight!") unless forced to at some retreat or something. Seems like people are always doing that to me! I tend to live so nomadically, too -- not only changing residences, but changing lives frequently. It's hard for me to guess what might come up next in my life. So why set goals that will be moot in another six months? Or maybe I'm just trying to avoid setting things down in unforgiving black and white.
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