Esther’s Goal Tracker

Think It & Ink It

I think that my biggest talent/strength is my ability to learn quick. I think that this will come very handy for me in the future because in life, you will be asked to do things that you’re not really good at, so if you are able to learn something quickly it will make your future easier.

Both me and my friends believe that we should always respect everybody. We believe that if you want respect, you have to give it first. A code of conduct that I would like to live by would be, ‘Always give respect first, then decide if they deserve it.’

Last year, one of my dreams was to grow up and be an actor. I wanted to be an actor because I thought it was a fun way to make money and be famous. Lately, I’ve changed my mind and want to become an orthodontist. It’s a much more practical dream, and even though it’s not easy to become one, its a more stable and safe way to live, which would make my life easier.

A not SMART goal that I set for myself is “make mom happy.” But I had no plan on how. So I planned on getting her a gift that she would like for Mother’s Day to make her happy.

Dear Esther,
It is now the year 2050, and I have become a successful orthodontist. It took a lot of effort, studying, and commitment, but I got here. So I want you to remember, that even if things get hard, and you want to give up, don’t because then you would be throwing away a life of success.

I want to be a healthy person, who exercises everyday, eats healthily, and has a good sleep schedule.

Why should I have goals?

1. Goals help stretch my comfort zone

I think that this is one of my key reasons of why I set up my goals. When something is out of my comfort zone, it makes me less motivated to make it as good as possible. I want to get it done and over with, so that I can step back into my comfort zone as fast as possible. So when I set up goals for my self like studying Japanese for 30 mins everyday, or doing the dishes, or folding the laundry, it helps me take baby steps into making my comfort zone bigger, and making it easier to step out of my comfort zone. This reason helps me see, that even though completing the goals can be a bit uncomfortable sometimes, it’s always worth it because I now have more things that I can to within my comfort zone.

2. Goals boost my confidence

I think that this reason is what makes me want to set up more goals for my self, because having more confidence in my self makes doing things I’m not as comfortable with easier. I think that goals such as practicing public speaking, or improving eye contact helps me believe in myself more when I am faced with challenges to over come. This reason helps me see that setting goals can be better for me and my mental health.

3. Goals help me trust my decisions

I think that this is an issue that I struggle with a lot, so setting goals that can help me trust in my own decisions more is something that I really need to do. I’m always doubting myself, or thinking twice about my decision, which is not always a bad thing since you need to do this to not get yourself killed. But sometime, I feel that I doubt myself too much, and I’m scared that it might be holding me back. So setting goals such as deciding on what to wear in under 30 mins every morning, or deciding on which snack to pack every day will slowly but surely build up my trust in my decisions and help me have more faith in myself. Goals like this helps me see that small goals like these can overtime, have a big impact on my life.

Values and Priorities

1. Respect
2. Responsibility
3. Growth
4. Commitment
5. Teamwork

Respect
To me, respect means to be on the same level as everyone. When I say that, I mean to not only respect yourself, but others as well. Be as kind to everyone else as you would be to yourself, and be patient, listen, and think of others’ feelings as much as you would for yourself. Respect is very important to me, because it has to be applied for every situation. Even though respect can take different forms for different situations, it always has to applied. As I said before, respect can look different for the type of situation you’re in. For example, in a classroom environment, you would listen when the teacher and other peers are talking, and raise your hand to talk. But at home, you wouldn’t need to raise your hand to talk, even though you still need to listen to your parents and siblings. I always prioritize respect first because to me, it’s important to think of other people’s feeling and put them into consideration, but also think about myself, and putting myself into consideration.

Responsibility
Responsibility for me means that you are finishing what you started. There are definitely better ways to define what responsibility means, but this is what is means for me. Responsibility is very important to me, because I was always taught to be able to finish something I started by myself. It can look different depending on what you started. For example, I started my responsibility for my dog when I adopted her, and I will finish when she dies. I started my responsibility for all the clothes that I got and finished by giving them away when I outgrew it. My mom started her responsibility over me when she had me, and has yet to finish it, since I’m not dead, and neither is she. This is second only to respect on my list of priorities, because if you commit to something, you should always take responsibility for it. And because I absolutely hate it when other people either don’t take responsibility, or dump their responsibility to other people after they made a commitment.

Date: August 9th, 2023

WHAT INSPIRES ME?

What do I enjoy doing? Why?
I enjoy playing basketball at school. I like it because it’s a fun way for me to get exercise, as well as spending time with my friends, and possibly making new ones.

What don’t I enjoy doing? Why not?
I don’t enjoy doing the dishes because honestly, who would? It takes up time which I could use to watch Netflix, or take a walk. But I still do it anyways, because I can’t stand it when the kitchen is dirty.

What gives meaning and purpose to my life?
I think that my friends and family give meaning and purpose to my life. The only reason I look forward to going to school is because I get to see my friends everyday. The only reason that I get excited to go home is because I get to spend the rest of the day with my family.

What are my talents or skills? How might I improve them?
One of the talents that I have is that I can memorize things quickly (e.g. scripts, notes, songs, etc). I think that I can improve this skill, by trying to memorize the brief summary of something I learned that day.

What do I like to read or watch movies about?
I like reading fictional books with either fantasy, or romance, or comedy, or action in it. The same with movies. Some of my favorite movies are Nimona, Inkheart, Aru Shah, Harry Potter, and Gregor and the blood curse.

What do I daydream about?
I like to daydream about what it would be like if I lived in one of my favorite movies/books. Sometimes I also daydream about what my future would be like.