By Blessing Onashile, Junior Reporter
It’s a new year with goals flying across the room. Some are a renewed subscription from three years ago or rollovers from last year, and that’s absolutely fine.
First, congratulations on being here again this year, because it’s something to be thankful for. A new year with new goals and aspirations waiting to be pursued, or maybe no plans at all and just going wherever the wind blows.
Below are a few reminders that may encourage you as you step into this year.
1. Reflect:
Begin by looking back at goals you once set and ask yourself why they didn’t work out. Be honest. Maybe you lost interest halfway through. Maybe you lacked the support to keep going. Maybe you felt overwhelmed and chose to stop. It could have been influenced by friends, family, or even your own self-doubt. Perhaps you invested so much time and still saw no results. Examine every missed goal closely and identify exactly what went wrong.
2. Write it out:
Goals that are not written remain dreams waiting to fade. Writing them down is the first step toward bringing them into reality—a bridge between imagination and action. It doesn’t have to be neat or perfectly structured. Just find the words and put them on paper. The documentation of your goals is your first accountability partner. “Write the vision and make it plain…” —Habakkuk 2:2.
3. Make your goals realistic:
Jay Shetty once said, “Make your goals so small that it would be ridiculous not to accomplish them.” Overly ambitious goals often become intimidating before you even begin. If going to the gym five days a week feels impossible, reduce it to two days and focus on your diet as well. Losing 2 pounds a week instead of 5 pounds is far better than losing motivation altogether. Maybe working out at home with a dumbbell might be more realistic than showing up at the gym in winter. You don’t need to climb Everest to make progress. As Bill Gates said, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because they’ll find an easier way to do it.” Not calling you lazy, but you get the memo?
4. Choose consistency over perfection
This mindset shifts your focus from the finish line to the process. It builds passion and establishes routine. Consistency always produces results. Once you decide on a small, repeatable habit, commit to it. Do it when you’re tired. Do it when you’re discouraged. Prove to yourself that you can trust yourself. Just do it. No cheat days, remember the goals have been broken down small enough that it would be ridiculous not to do it. So just do it.
5. Pause and breathe
You are not a machine designed solely to achieve goals. Make time to rest, eat well, and appreciate your existence a little more. Your identity should never be tied solely to what you accomplish. Celebrate effort, not just outcomes. Build hobbies alongside goals. Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do. Find moments to smile even during heavy semesters. Watch that episode. Call that friend. Take that drive. Be intentional to hear what your breath sounds like. Inhale… and exhale.
6. Talk to yourself
You are your closest ally, the only person who knows every part of you, and you decide what beliefs take root in your mind. Be your loudest supporter. If you don’t believe you are worth the effort, no one else can convince you otherwise. You carry beautiful ideas, but you’ve rarely stopped to listen to yourself. While others constantly offer opinions based on their own experiences or theories, you’ve barely explored your own life. Don’t become an extension of someone else’s unrealized dreams or a test subject for their untested ideas. Listen inwardly and discover what you truly want from this gift called life.
7. Reassess your direction
Ask yourself whether your goals are still working and how you might adjust your approach. Do you need to read more, or practice what you’ve already learned? You don’t need to know everything before you begin. Just get started. Check your progress halfway through the semester. See how close you are to your academic targets and decide whether to refocus or re-strategize. Final exams don’t magically fix everything; success starts with the 5% assignments you’re tempted to ignore. Track your progress. Create a calendar with deadlines for goals, assignments, tests, and exams.
8. Allow yourself to make mistakes
Mistakes are not proof of failure; they are lessons showing you what not to repeat. Be open to growth and willing to start again. This is often the hardest part, because beginning anew is never easy, but it is always possible.
9. Seek guidance and mentorship
You don’t have to repeat mistakes that others have already made. Learn from those who have walked a similar path. If you find a mentor, value their guidance and allow yourself to be taught. Know which advice deserves full commitment and which should be taken lightly. Everyone has opinions about how you should live, but only you get to decide what to accept. Ensure advice is not rooted in personal bias or unresolved trauma. “In the multitude of counsel, there is safety.” In academic settings, connect with instructors and advisors - they are there to support you. Utilize their availability as one of your best resources.
10. Choose goals you can pursue with or without support
Support, like a high value currency, is important and we all need it. But if you always need people to get the job done, the job will most likely not get done in time. Depending entirely on others can stall progress. You can’t control how much encouragement people offer, nor can you expect their enthusiasm to match yours. If others stop believing in your goals, will you stop too? A friend encouraged me to write this article by saying they looked forward to reading it, but what if they lose interest? The answer remains the same: keep going anyway. As my father often says, “Learn how to do things by yourself, because one day you may find yourself alone.”