What are goals and what do they mean? To many people, goals and dreams are what help drive them every day to accomplish something that they have set for themselves to help better and improve their lives. There can be many different types of goals, from short term goals to mid range goals and long term goals. All of these types of goals are important because short term goals can eventually lead to the mid range and long term goals a person may have leading them to a dream that they want to fulfill in life. In order for a person to achieve a dream that he or she has, that person must set short, mid, and long term goals for himself.
From short to long term goals, all types are important to achieve success in life, starting with the short term goals. Short term goals can be anything from making an ”A” on the next test to waking up twenty minutes earlier every day. These sorts of goals may seem meaningless from the outside looking in, but to the one making them, they are just the building blocks to the ultimate dreams they have for themselves. One of the best ways to make sure that one’s goals and dreams can be fulfilled is to write them down in print so that they will always be there to remind you of what you need to do and will not be forgotten.
Also, a person can have a friend or family member help him or her to keep pushing to their goals and not give up in the middle. Motivation from others can be a great tool to help another person to reach his or her goal because of the different point of view and perspectives another person can have. To some, a short term goal can be just as important as a long term goal, because without short term goals, a long term goal usually cannot be reached. After short term goals are reached, mid range goals may begin to fall into place and begin being worked on to complete.
A mid range goal can be anywhere from a goal over the course of a year such as winning the state championship in football to getting accepted into medical school five years from now, two goals mid range goals which I hope to accomplish this year and in the future. As mentioned earlier, the short term goals can be considered the building blocks for the mid and long term goals a person may have. Likewise, mid range goals can be considered stepping stones leading one further to accomplishing the long term goals and dreams he or she have set for himself or herself.
A few midterm goals I have for myself this year are making all A’s in my classes, and yes even in Calculus, and winning state championships in both football and baseball, two sports that I play for Madison Central. The goal of winning state in both sports in somewhat of a team goal also, but I like to set it as one for myself because of the role I play on both teams. As short term goals are the building blocks for bigger things, mid range goals are the stepping stones to getting to those bigger things a person hopes to eventually accomplish in his or her lifetime.
Lastly, come the long term goals in life and successful dreams that come from accomplishing these long term goals. A long term goal can range from ten to twenty to fifty years down the road much like a life long dream can be. From owning your own business, becoming a millionaire, or just living a happy and fulfilling life, long term goals can range not only in length of time, but also in what they can be, much like short and mid range goals.
I guess I could say that one long term goal I have for myself, which I am sure is common, is to grow up and be successful in some way and raise a family. On the other hand, growing up, like most kids do, I dreamt of becoming some sort of professional athlete, which sport I did not care, but now I have realized somewhat that that dream is most likely the answer much to my disappointment. As I mentioned earlier, a mid range goal that I have for myself is to be accepted into medical school and eventually, after long years of studying, hope to become some type of doctor.
I would consider this a long term goal for myself, helping me to get to a dream of raising a well brought up family with two boys and a baby girl, being happily married as well. As mentioned in Langston Hughes’s poem, if there are no goals or dreams in life, then life is a barren field covered with snow with no sense of direction or purpose. Goals and dreams are what make life tick and can be what help people get through each day pushing them to reach that goal that gives them a sense of purpose and motivation. Without goals, people would just wander around aimlessly and have nothing to accomplish or work for.
