Looking Towards the Future
Cristie Simens
Ashford University: PSY202
9/8/2014

Looking Towards the Future The intention of this essay is to establish and create a plan to accomplish person, professional, and educational goals. Discussing how using the SMART goal process will help me organize a contingency plan in order to create accountability to achieve my goals, predict the outcome of my success, and determine my personality traits as they pertain to my personal and academic goals. My enrollment into Ashford University has been the first step in achieving personal and educational accomplishments as well as establishing a firmer foothold in my career goals.
S.M.A.R.T Goals Reflecting on my life and what I would like to achieve I have determined that my personal goal is to lose weight, professionally I would like to complete my degree to acquire a career that is financially stable and personally fulfilling, and academically I want to appear on the Dean’s List. Using the “Setting SMART Goals” article from week 3 (http://readsh101.com/ashford/smartgoals.html) it states that “Practical goals are usually specific, measurable, and time-limited”; to achieve those goals I need to devise a plan that is clear and feasible. To attain my personal goal I have set a realistic target of fifty pounds within a time-frame of one year. My target end point is to achieve this by next September for a very important event. This goal is achievable through hard work and determination. Professionally my goal is only achieved by the completion of my degree in the next four years. Also, I need to reevaluate if I want to continue on the career path that I am on or seek a different field. The academic goal I have set cannot be time bound, but will require measure my progress by the grades I receive. It will imperative that I adhere to a strict study schedule and prosper in my future classes.
Accountability and Obstacles In order to accomplish the goals I have set forth for myself I will need to be focused and held accountable for my goals. The accountability plan that I have formed for myself relies heavily on overcoming obstacles in my day to day life and developing a time management schedule. The foremost obstacles that I need to overcome are family obligations and the lack of self motivation.
The biggest problem I have is time management because my schedule is always in constant flux; it is hard for me to pin point day to day what I need to do at a specific time. It is hard to stay focused and committed to any type of aspirations I set for myself. Because of my Mothers failing health and her being confined to the nursing home, I am constantly driving back and forth to see her or taking care of her finances. Add that on top of my work schedule and household duties it makes it hard to concentrate on me or my coursework.
The critical components to achieving all the goals I have set forth for myself is being able to set aside time for myself and the support of my family and friends. My Mother, boss, and best friends have supported me each and every step of the way in any goal I have set for myself; be that academically or personally. It is reassuring that someone is there when I feel that life is overwhelming and they help me realize what is truly important. They want to see me thrive and be successful personally and professionally. I also need to have the confidence and faith in myself that I am able to overcome any obstacle in my way to achieve what I want in life. As much as I enjoy taking care of others, it is time for me to evaluate my quality of life and what I want to do with it. I suffer from low self confidence and refer back to past experiences often. I feel that I set myself up for failure and I need to overcome my fears.
Being able to prioritize my obligations and workload will be a crucial part of the success of all my goals. By using chart 6.1 in “Goal setting: How to create and action plan and