“Arriving at
one goal is the starting point to another.” ~John Dewey
The main reason
for setting a goal is for what it makes of you when you accomplish it. Goals
are what we create as achievable stepping stones in our life that demonstrate
we are in complete control. What are your goals? Do you have a goal you wish to
accomplish but don’t really know how? Maybe you are concerned with the
obstacles you will face. Well, I have found that setting a goal is the best way
to turn our dreams into reality. I am going to tell you about a system that can
help you achieve your goals. While reading this, I want you to think about one
short term goal that is important to you. For me, it is graduating from La
Guardia Community College Psychology program by 2015 and following my dream in
becoming a child psychologist. In order to achieve any task it takes SMART goal
planning, understanding of the discipline, and specific motivation.
“The
SMART system” I read
somewhere that whenever you set goals they should be SMART. Meaning, that the
goals we set should be 1) Specific, 2) Measurable, 3) Attainable, 4) Relevant,
and 5) Timely bound. In other words, a specific goal has a much greater chance
of getting accomplished than a general goal (Short term/long term.) When you
measure the progress you have made, research shows it helps you stay on track
and get to your target by a certain date. You can attain mostly any goal you
set when you plan the steps you will take wisely and establish that time frame.
To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both
willing and able to work. The goal should be accomplished within the time frame
you set. By identifying goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure
out the ways you can make them come true.
Child Psychology
is one of the many branches of the field of Psychology. It focuses on the
behavior and mind of children from their prenatal development all the way
through adolescence. What interests me most is the fact that child psychology
doesn’t only deal with how children grow physically, but also with their
mental, emotional and social development. I love children and having a career
that allows me to work with them is something I am looking forward too. If you
generally like and want to know more about how people perceive the world around
them and how they react to it, this is something you may want to consider. It
is not an easy road. Becoming a child psychologist can take many years to
accomplish. It’s an extremely rewarding career which involves the most
vulnerable members of our society. It is all about helping, helping others with
whatever their need may be. In order to work with children, one must have the
patience and skills to communicate with those young clients who have not
developed the cognitive or verbal capacity to express the problems that are
causing them distress.
Child psychology became
interesting to me when I lost a 13 month old baby cousin with Down syndrome.
Her death was tragic to every member of my family. I wanted to learn more and
do something in her honor as far as my future was concerned. This is why child
psychology is something so important to me. Not only do I want to make my
parents and my family proud because I come from a career-oriented family but I also
want to be successful too. My family is my support group and my motivation to
succeed. Every parent tries to give their child the best and when the time
comes when I have children I want to be able to give them that and more. What
other way than preparing yourself for the future and living the American dream?
Who hasn’t dreamt about owning a house one day? Ever since I was a little girl,
I always dreamt of a big house to live in one day with my husband and a whole
bunch of children. I want to have the opportunity for prosperity and upward
social mobility that has been achieved through hard work. That is the American
dream I live by. I want to strive to get those good grades in La Guardia and
maybe even make the Dean’s list. I have always been a good student in school
but I never pushed myself for more and that is what I want to accomplish here.
I want to excel in all my exams, challenging myself in reaching a 4.0 GPA so
that I can get into a good program at a different school afterwards.
Despite the
challenges life itself throws, anything you wish to do or wish to become is
possible. All you have to do is believe in yourself and never give up. With a
career path like this one, where you will have to give a lot and put a lot in
with the many years of education, it will all be worth it in the end.
Surrounding yourself with positivity and managing your stress is another method
that helps. One piece of advice my parents always told me is “Keep your eye on
the prize” and I share that with you. Never lose sight of your goal. The road
of becoming a psychologist is a long one and can be difficult but not
impossible. Getting good grades is important that way they help you get into a
great grad school. Getting a high GPA can even grant you scholarships where you
can save a few dollars as well since we all know college is expensive. Doing
your research is imperative because that way you are aware of the requirements
ahead of time. I believe in self motivation also for the reason that we humans
are our own biggest critics and realizing you are progressing is realizing you
are one step closer to following your dream. In about 8-10 years from now I
picture myself becoming a Child Psychologist. My goal is to work very well and
hard to make it happen turning it into reality despite whatever obstacles I might
face.
By: Dioska Kiana Ceballos
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