Like a fledgling, hopping out of the nest and yearning to fly, people too have goals. Something a person strives to complete the task at hand. Unlike dreams, goals are achievable and attainable. 

A person can have dreams, they can have thousands and thousands of ideal scenarios which they wish to accomplish, but sometimes dreams are just dreams. Though there are many types of goals, realistic goals can push a person forward in their life and their career. Ella Hall, a junior at Key West High School (KWHS), utilizes realistic goals to push herself forward in her life. Hall shared, “I set a goal at the beginning of the year to win a competition and that’s exactly what I did.” Through goal setting, Hall has won first place as the Best of the Best for Feature Photography from the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA), at the state level as well as lifting her body weight for the clean and jerk in weightlifting competitions.

Hall expressed the extreme amount of excitement and happiness that achieving her goals has brought her. “I worked so extremely hard to reach my goals and I am so happy I was able to win!” The pure joy caused by completing the goal she set for herself could not possibly be matched by anything  else in the world.

Another junior at KWHS, Grayson Acevedo had something to add on the topic of goals.  Though his main goal is to “live until twenty-one”, Acevedo divulged his career aspirations as well. “I would really like to become a sports commentator one day.” Attaining his goal of becoming a sports commentator makes Acevedo do better in school and other areas of his life. This goal lingering in the back of his mind pushes him to do the best and be the best person he can be.

Goal setting is imperative. It is not just necessary for present growth, but also forces a person to strive for future growth. So shut your eyes, take a deep breath, and take a leap out of your nest and start making your goals as soon as possible!