Personal Goals Paper

As I sit here and reflect on the goals I hope to achieve as a student I must first look back on what I have already accomplished. I have always set short-term and long-term goals for myself. Some of them have been obtainable while others are so far out of reach that I have put them in the laughable category. I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. The path there has been the hard part. In order to achieve

my goals it would have been easier to stay on the straight and narrow path. Fortunately, I took the path with many curves. I say fortunately because there was always a lesson to be learned for every obstacle I came across.

The first goal I hope to achieve will be to find out who I am now compared to whom I once was. My life has changed so much since I graduated with my associate degree 12 years ago. At that time I did not have a family of my own per say. The responsibilities were nowhere near as difficult as they are now. I did have a good job, but there was no career involved. I have seen firsthand that I now learn differently from what I once had. My mind does not absorb or retain information in the same manner as it once did and it has been difficult to adjust to this change. In these past two weeks and numerous discussions with my peers I am on the way to obtaining this small piece on my goal list. Within this same goal I am able to finish what I had started 12 years ago. That would be to further my education so I may be able to enhance myself. Within improving myself comes along a higher self-esteem, a higher self-worth, emotional stability and a sense of financial stability.

Years ago I was not thinking about longterm career goals. I was thinking of just having enough money to survive, to provide the basics for my family and myself. As my children started to grow older and myself at that, the thought of returning to school to finally start my career kept appearing into my head. In my heart I knew I was going nowhere and would have to stay in medial jobs the rest of my life. I am too young to give up now. My children deserve more from me. I need to set precedence for them. Going back to school and obtaining my bachelor's degree will show them how important school is.

The job I have now is very satisfying and I make a decent salary, but there are so many more opportunities waiting out there for me. In Corporate America I am just a number which leads into my most important personal goal that I hope to achieve by attending the University of XXXXXX