Posts published on July 23, 2018

Goal Setting And Creativity:Stay Focused In College

BY BRETT CLAWSON

Throughout the early stages of life, goals are often provided for human beings. They learn how to walk, talk and take on responsibilities at home. Then, they move into school where they have specific criteria to meet on essentially a daily basis. However, as individuals move into adulthood, determining what goals to meet and how to achieve them often become more difficult tasks.

The same old humdrum advice of making a list of your goals might not be working for you, especially when you want to express creativity. Instead of falling into a rut, combine goal setting and creativity in a powerful way to turn your dreams into a reality.

Doodle, Sketch and Scribble

To-do lists can feel overwhelming, particularly when they are filled with prodigious goals. However, bringing thoughts out of your mind and onto a piece of paper can help you to better manage and visualize them. Instead of using a boring routine, turn to an artistic path to breathe life into your visions. The value of free writing is no secret, and the Writer’s Digest supports that fact. Take out a piece of paper and draw images or write words that are related to your dreams. Work freely and without inhibitions. When you are finished, take a look at repeated words or images to get a sense of what your inner voice is trying to tell you.

Create Realistic Expectations

The thought of working toward goals might seem overwhelming to you because of troubles that you’ve had in the past. Part of the reason that you may have struggle to achieve goals previously is because you weren’t creating realistic expectations. For example, maybe you want to change your career and teach writing at the college level, and you decide that you are going to accomplish this year within one year. This time frame does not take into account the average length of degree programs. When you set realistic goals for yourself, you are more likely to actually achieve them.

Find a Time and Space to Work

Reaching your goals isn’t a task that you can just haphazardly do whenever you feel like it. You may need to teach yourself to get inspired. If exercising increases your energy or taking an art class makes you feel prolific, plan your goal-setting endeavors for after you pursue these passions. That extra energy can help you to reach and exceed your goals. Also, if you are working on a project, an assignment for a class or another task that helps you to achieve your goal, you need to allocate a quiet and calm place for doing so whether that is in a home office or through a virtual workspace.

Meditate

With all of the stress factors that come into fruition each day, you may find it incredibly difficult to focus. Allowing time for meditation can help you with this struggle, and it can allow your creativity to flow. In fact, Psychology Today notes how meditation can help you to focus better on tasks. Choosing a guided meditation can help you learn how to relieve anxieties, and it can allow you to better put your creative mind to work. You may want to engage in meditation at home or find a group.

Share Your Successes

You might feel as though it is easy to give up on your goals because you have no one to hold you accountable. While you do want to work on holding yourself accountable, sharing your successes can help in this journey. When people are eager to know how you are doing, their positive energy can help to inspire you. Also, if you are having a tough day, you can speak with a relative or friend for some guidance and advice. Even if they haven’t had the same goals as you do, they can likely offer encouragement about goal setting in general.

Setting goals is an important part of life. When you combine this pursuit with creativity, you will have a powerful blend.

Author:

Brett Clawson is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in Business Management. He enjoys researching emerging business trends and sharing their impact on business and the industry as a whole. He believes that the best way to influence others and share his knowledge with the world is through his writing.