Tag: SelfDiscipline

The Art of Goal-Setting

Posted on by andrew

Bianca Bravo (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.” – Og Mandino 

 

The Importance of Goals 

As we anticipate the arrival of the new year, it is natural to set new goals as we embrace a fresh start full of new opportunities. Goals reveal our growth and development and reinforce change – the good kind. Since we are constantly learning and evolving, sticking to old, traditional ways does not always work. The initiative to develop new habits and the willingness to improve is a natural part of our human nature in a fast-paced society. Goals are significant, as they keep us focused and emphasize the importance of self-discipline, where we are able to delay instant gratification for more rewarding long-term gratification. 

 

Maintaining Balance Between Different Types of Goals 

There are several types of goals, each of them crucial to our own happiness and self-development. When combined together, they maintain a balance between all aspects of our lives. They help us learn new things about ourselves that work and are suited to our abilities and lifestyles. The five types of goals we tend to focus on are career/educational goals, financial goals, personal development goals (including physical health), spiritual goals and relationship goals. Although these are all important, having too many of one but not enough of others can lead to letdown and stress in one subject, and unnecessary focus on another. For instance, as a student, having too many educational goals, such as maintaining A grades, scoring above a 1500 on the SAT and writing my applications to be eligible for good universities could make me feel burnt out if they were my only focus. I like to focus on personal development as well, such as maintaining my mental and physical health and strengthening my relationships with friends and family. Specifically, I plan on continuing to go to the gym for one-to-two hours, four times a week, and taking at least one night to spend time with loved ones. Overall, having one-to-two goals in each category maintains order and increases productivity in our lives. Too much or too little of one area can be more unhealthy than beneficial. Therefore, the key idea is to find a perfect amount of time to dedicate to goals to prevent feeling overwhelmed by other priorities. 

How to Set Proper Goals and Avoid Unrealistic Ideas 

Although goal-setting is a big step in the right direction, attainable and realistic goals are the ones that prove most beneficial to us. Before setting any type of goal, it is key that we reflect on our own lifestyles so that the goals we set pertain specifically to us. They will be different for everyone, and will vary throughout the different stages of life. 

 

To further compare the difference between realistic and unrealistic goals, we can use the acronym SMART. A well-balanced goal is composed of specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound principles. Along with a goal, you should have a specific, solid understanding of the steps you need to take in order to reach that goal. If it is general, broad, and needs more detail to be interpreted correctly, it is easy to slack off or feel unsure of where to start with regard to completing that goal. Additionally, goals should also be measurable and manageable within a specific amount of time, and should fit with other conflicting priorities you have. It is illogical to devote a significant amount of time to tasks of lesser priority or to achieve a long-term goal in a short period of time. Furthermore, reflect on your work ethic and time management abilities. If a goal is unfit for you to accomplish in the time you want, cut it down or alter it to fit you. Goals are meant to encourage, not discourage you. With that, remember not to compare goals with others around you, since they must pertain to your own abilities, passions and needs. Lastly, giving yourself a deadline will force you to put in the effort, which parallels the satisfaction of receiving delayed gratification. Giving too much or too little time for yourself to complete a goal is not ideal. Practice patience, but do not procrastinate, as little-to-no progress will result from it. 

The Effects of Realistic Goals and its Role in Success 

Overall, realistic goals will help you, in the future, become the best version of yourself. As humans, we are constantly growing and learning. Our potential is based on our mentality and whether we can dig deep enough to achieve our greatest dreams and desires. Realistic goals set us on the right path to becoming successful, happy and fulfilled.

 

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My name is Bianca Bravo, and I am a high school student from Vancouver, BC. Some of my hobbies include writing, going to the gym and listening to music. 

Stay-at-Home Schooling

Posted on by andrew

While educational institutions adapted their curriculums to a pandemic reality, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Jihu Lee took some valuable lessons from isolation itself.

 

The world of education during the coronavirus pandemic has shifted impressively to compensate for the loss of conventional learning opportunities. My younger sister, Brooklyn, spent fourth grade fully online. Not surprisingly, there is a growing concern about the impact of increased screen time on the neurological progress of youth around Brooklyn’s age who are still climbing the peak of their developmental stage. My parents themselves have been stressed over Brooklyn’s lengthened time spent on her computer. Meanwhile, I experienced my first year of college online in my home state of Utah. No matter what demographic of students we belong in, I believe we can collectively agree that a pandemic-restricted environment is not conducive to learning. I would like to offer my insight on education during COVID-19 from the standpoint of a college student. 

 

After graduating high school in 2019, I took a gap year to work and travel. By March 2020, our lives detoured in an unexpected direction when COVID-19 began accelerating in the United States. Even still, most of us, if not all, were under the impression that the pandemic would be over by the end of summer 2020. Evidently, that has not been the case. When USC began sending mixed messages regarding plans for a “return” to campus, our unease soared while our hopes and expectations faltered. I tried to keep myself excited about meeting my professors and taking classes that caught my interest. 

 

Now, as I write this, it is June 2021. It is incredibly challenging to accurately put into words what this year had brought for me. As a first-year college student, I was looking forward to taking flight from under my parents’ roof and experience my independence away from home. I wanted to meet a highly diverse student body and share stories with those vastly different from me. So many “should have”s and “could have”s. I have also felt ashamed of the feeling that I was victimizing myself, which fanned the flames of my doubts regarding my level of productivity. But through it all, I learned to regulate my emotions and discipline to feel my best, even if that meant finding a new version of myself to be comfortable with. 

 

This was not the college experience anyone would ever aspire to have, but the growth that took place in me is immeasurable. One particular idea became especially clear: education is far more than sitting in our academic classes. Spending an uncomfortable amount of time by myself has induced four main points of development: 

 

  1. The mortifying ordeal of knowing yourself and its rewards: To improve as a person, we need to know what we lack. Whether that means seeking help to resolve unprocessed trauma or trying to reconnect with our parents, we have to undergo the rite of painful discomfort to bloom again. There is nothing like a pandemic that would force me to be alone more than usual, and it has made me look into who I am, what I need and what I want to change. 

 

  1. Boosting self-discipline and becoming your own cheerleader: The person who is responsible for sending that email or finishing that assignment now instead of three hours later is me. Moreover, when our accomplishments go unnoticed, we reserve the right to acknowledge them and feel proud of ourselves. After all, external noise comes in all forms– validation, disapproval, underestimation – but I have the power to consistently root for myself. 

 

  1. Perspective: I struggle with holding space for my own feelings because I don’t consider them as important as others’ situations around the world. But the knowledge that others “have it worse” should allow us to heighten awareness and empathy rather than invalidate our own experiences. The pandemic has taught me that kindness towards myself not only strengthens me, but also makes me a better empath! We don’t rise by bringing down others, and I seem to have learned that bringing ourselves down doesn’t uplift others the way we think it does either.

 

  1. Realizing how capable you are: Whether you powered through an entire day with your energy at 100% or finished one assignment because of a raging headache, your worth and abilities never wavered and never will. The perfect human condition may not exist, but we don’t need it to prove to ourselves that we are strong. If you fall, it’s okay to crawl for a bit of the way, as long as you rise again. 

 

This is what education was for me during COVID-19. Of course, academics are highly important to me, but there is significant value in what school doesn’t teach us that we can learn for ourselves. My take on education during COVID-19 is less about how to make academics worthwhile on Zoom, but what else we were able to learn about ourselves during such an uncertain period of our lives. We do not have to feel obligated to find a silver lining in every painful lesson of our lives, but I truly believe that we deserve to give ourselves credit where it is more than due.

 

What have you learned during this trying time? Let us know in the comments below or on any of our social media channels!