Around this time of the year, many people start thinking about goals for the new year like starting a new diet, going to the gym, getting a better grade in a class, the list goes on. Goals are usually set in place with the hopes of achieving satisfaction. The way a person behaves and makes decisions are a reflection of what their goals are. A goal is, “the end toward which effort is directed.” (Webster’s dictionary) In other words, goals are our idea of how we’d like things to turn out. Motivation is underlying all goals, it is the driving force that pushes through in the chase of a goal. Someone’s dreams and aspirations are established by the following major forces: childhood memories, love, and education.
Childhood memories
Early childhood memories are the root from which children view the world and begin to form their beliefs on. Past experiences provide a platform for decisions to be made that move a person forward, progressing into the future. Children tend to look back on their past memories and decide that they want to make changes in lives based on things they had to live through. In order for children to change their futures, they have to set goals that will help guide their lives in the right direction. My dad came to the United States from Mexico when he was 16 years old. Coming to a brand new country with a different culture, leaving his mother and father behind, putting all of his trust into his older brothers who were only 18 and 21 at the time, he admits he was scared about his future. He chose to come to the U.S because he saw how poor everyone in his hometown was and he knew he wanted to be successful, but he also knew it would be virtually impossible if he stayed in Mexico. My grandfather had his land repossessed the year my dad left and he knew he needed to work hard in order to help my grandfather and grandmother get back on their feet. When my father got to Visalia he started high school at Mt. Whitney and he said, “I was always so scared to walk into english class because I knew I would have to read out loud to the class and my accent was thick and I would hear kids laughing at me in the background.” Because my dad had that fear, it pushed him to work harder and practice his english and now he speaks the language fluently and without an accent. He said his biggest goal was to buy his own house, and when he made the last payment for the first home he purchased I remember how happy he was that day, he actually sat at the kitchen table with my mom and started to cry tears of joy. Now at the age of 45, he has paid off two houses, went back and bought the land his father had lost in Mexico, built a house in his hometown, and paid for 3 of my cousins to attend university in Mexico. My dad is a great example of the two processes you can follow. You can choose to stay stuck in the difficulties of your childhood experiences and set lousy goals or move forward from the difficulties and strive to be superior and successful.
Love
Goals are usually set in hopes to make the people who influence our lives the most feel proud. This is especially true for the people we love. This person can be a friend, a partner, or most likely a family member. Love is a driving force that can alter goals, decisions, and goals for the better. An example of love being the driving force of a goal would be in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby, the main character, grew up in a poor family, but never wanted to accept a future without wealth. Jay Gatsby’s biggest goal was to become wealthy in hopes to seize the attention of his long lost love, Daisy Buchanan. The relationship between Jay and Daisy is quite interesting in the book because Jay Gatsby creates very high expectations that he puts in place to try and charm Daisy. Gatsby never grew up with a wealthy family, because of this he would never be considered a member of the Old Money social class. When Daisy was born, she grew up in a wealthy family and doesn’t know what life looks like outside of wealth. Gatsby desperately wanted to be a part of Old Money because it would make him look like a powerful man and show off his wealth, which he hoped would grab Daisy’s attention and make her fall in love with him. Gatsby throws huge elaborate parties, drives an extravagant car, and wears the finest clothes to make sure that Daisy takes into account the fact that Gatsby has money has money now. This image was what Gatsby wants Daisy to see when she first met him but he didn’t actually have the money to give her the lifestyle she was used to. The way Gatsby uses Daisy to establish and meet his outrageous goals doesn’t just happen between the characters in the book, it happens in real life between real people. When people have love for one another, their strive to become their best selves is their priority in hopes for their successes to be viewed by their loved ones. With love goals and dreams are set not only from our own perspectives, but through the perspective, goals, and dreams of our partners as well.
Education
Some believe that with education, they will achieve all of their goals. The idea of the American Dream has always been that with hard work the dream of becoming successful will be accomplished. Young children are taught at an early age that the only way of getting a well-paid job is to get good grades in school and go to college. Being successful can have a different meaning for everyone. Being able to buy a house, own a business, or getting a college degree are all goals that are set along a child's educational journey. Everyone strives to have a job after they are finished with school no matter what level of education they reach. Society makes it seem as if without education a person has no shot at becoming successful. This makes it so that we are working harder and harder in school to try and get a chance to be a professional in the field we go into. For most kids, they turn to education to give them a push towards their goals.
How to achieve and set a goal
Having a goal set in place for something we wish to do is completely normal. Sometimes our goals and our dreams have bumps in the road and can be harder to achieve than we would have hoped for. This is completely normal because if all goals were easy to accomplish they wouldn’t give us a sense of satisfaction. We wouldn’t feel like we are progressing positively in our future. To set a goal we think about certain things in our lives that could use maintenance or further progression. Goals range from giving up coffee every morning or doing something big like getting a doctorate degree. As long as every goal being set will help life go smoother or set the rest of your life up for success, they are exceptional goals to make. It’s important to keep one’s self accountable for each goal, big or small. Doing this will lead to more self discipline and help future goals be accomplished. It’s also very important to keep goals on top priority because it helps goals stick around. To approach a big goal it could be best to go about it with smaller goals that will be building blocks that will lead up to the main objective. Working towards a goal can seem very stressful but staying positive and having the end result in mind will help it go along faster and more enjoyable. Asking for help is never a bad option when it comes down to tackling a difficult goal, getting others perspectives on how to go about a struggle can also make you feel more at ease knowing there are others helping you along the way.
There will always be some sort of driving force behind a goal, it could be any of the forces mentioned above or some other important outside source. These forces are what motivate us while trying to accomplish a goal but can also carry over into everyday life. We try to satisfy our loved ones, better our future by accomplishing our goals with education, and use memories held close to home to set the bar high for future generations to come.