Goals: think it, write it, say it, do it

“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” - Walt Disney

In college, about 5 years ago, I came across the above quote by Walt Disney that resonated with me. I printed it out and taped on the outside of my closet in my room so I would see it every single day before I left for school. Next to it, I had a piece of paper that had my hand written academic and athletic goals. I spent a lot of time reflecting and determining what those were going to be for the semester.

I would read the quote out loud and then my goals. I wanted to make sure my actions and words for the day aligned with the words on the paper. I believe flooding your environment with quotes, pictures, etc. helps keep people focused and energized to give their best effort.

I learned two things:

1. Writing down my goals and looking at them everyday, made them feel more attainable.

2. I wish I had goals that were more people-focused.

A few examples of people-focused goals could have been:

“Do something kind for someone I know”

“Do a random act of kindness for a stranger if the opportunity presents itself”

“Check in with at least one friend, family member, mentor, etc. to let them know I appreciate them”

“Ask someone how they are doing and truly listen with my eyes and ears, to make them feel valued and heard”

For me, commuting on the train or the “T” as my friends in Boston called it, provided many opportunities to serve others: give up my seat, let someone know if they dropped their wallet, ask the train operator how their day is going, talk to a stranger, slowly walk onto the train if it was about to depart and I saw someone running to catch it, etc. As time went on, my people-focused goals turned into an everyday habit that made me feel proud.

I believe it’s extremely important to find ways to motivate yourself but it's equally important to help others! In fact, serving others seems to give me more energy and strength to achieve, and sometimes, exceed my goals.

"We rise by lifting others"

Thank you for reading :)