#goals

I am a professional at setting goals for myself. Sounds amazing, right? But, the thing is, they're always goals I can't reach. Or, I should say, I could reach them if I tried, but I would have to try really hard in order to do so.

I set unrealistic goals for myself because I have unrealistic expectations for myself and the things I should be doing. These high standards feed into unfeasible goals, and in turn, when I can't meet those goals, I set even higher expectations for myself.

I'm trying to be better at setting ~realistic~ goals for myself, and that starts right here, right now with this blog! I will be discussing three attainable personal goals that I have for myself in the foreseeable future.

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1. Cook More

I love cooking - I really do. But sometimes, it's so much easier for me to heat up a frozen or ready-made meal from Trader Joe's and have that for dinner if I'm swamped with homework or tests. Even worse, my persona as a foodie overrides any financial responsibility in me, and I end up spending money on new food that I feel like I *need* to try. However, I know that it's just as easy for me to cook my own meal in both of these situations. Besides, I love cooking so much that it's stress-relieving for me to cook a homemade meal after a long day of class and work. Realistically, I know that this is a goal that I can easily achieve, and I have already greatly improved my cooking since I first moved into the apartments from the dorms last school year. Even still, buying boba once a week can't hurt me, right? :)

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2. Create More

As I've mentioned before in class, I was never as passionate for design as I am now. I love winding down at night by drawing on ProCreate on my iPad for hours. I've had so much fun the entire quarter in this class by designing my blog, doodling on my pictures, designing our group website: A UCLA Sneak Peek, and creating graphics for the survey analytics for the group project. My passion for design and its impact solidified from this course. Funnily enough, I'm on the Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC) marketing team, where we are primarily responsible for graphic design of all the flyers and social media posts for every event the organization plans. So, I've been able to really hone in on my passion for graphic design and, most importantly, practice and improve my design skills through CAC Marketing. I'm so excited to continually exercise my creativity in all aspects of my life!

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3. Do More

This sounds very vague and philosophical, but I mean it in a simple and literal sense: do more stuff. I want to be able to see more, explore more, travel more, and experience more, especially in my remaining 1.5 years in college! A few weeks ago, I met with Denise Pacheco, the Director to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Assistant Dean of Students at UCLA, and she made a comment that has stuck with me sense:

"You should really value your time in college - no other time in your life can you go get pancakes with your friend at 11 AM on a Friday morning on a whim."

And I was like... you are so right. I can't count how many times I didn't have work or class for a good chunk of the day and drove to Abbot Kinney Blvd. to get Salt & Straw ice cream with my boyfriend, strolled through Westfield Century City mall when I had a break in between my classes, or walked along the sandy beach of Santa Monica. Like - that's crazy... and I normalized it! I won't be able to just go places on a whim in 2 years, because I'll be working full-time, so I should really cherish the amount of time I have to do stuff in college now. I want to explore more of the city, go on hikes, visit those tourist attractions that Angelenos are probably sick of by now, and more! I only have 1.5 more years here at UCLA, and I want to make it count.

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Well, I think these are definitely more realistic goals than ones I've set for myself before. Although they're not one-time goals, I like that they're goals that can extend throughout the next few years. They're continuous goals, which means sometimes I can meet them more than other times, but in the end, I'm still meeting them.

I hope my struggles with unattainable personal goals and/or standards resonates with you and help you not to feel alone in the seemingly never-ending abyss of personal expectations. We're in this together, and you can set realistic goals for yourself too! They don't have to be flashy or impressive or grand - they just have to be yours.

Warmly,

Kienna