Staying Motivated and Personal Goals

If I had a dollar for every time I said, “I quit” this past year, I probably could have paid my whole tuition. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that often, but it happens. Those times will come where all you want to do is give up because you have a big exam coming up or a lot of homework assignments you really just don’t want to do. Instead of getting to that point and throwing in the towel, I found better ways to stay motivated and not let the stress get to me. 

1. Use your bulletin board
No matter where you live, you’ll have a bulletin board in your room. In my room last year, it was right above my desk. I wrote motivational quotes on small pieces of paper and pinned them to my board during the year, and put a few on the walls around my bed too. Whenever I got to the point where I wanted to quit, I would take a moment to read these to have that small reminder that I could do it. Some of my favorites were “Dreams aren’t free” and “When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.”  

2. Keep a to-do list

Last year I hung a white board up in my room. I put a small section for each class up and then a section for other things such as clubs and applications. When something needed to get done or an exam was coming up, I would write it on the board in the section. The greatest feeling in the world was to erase the things from my to do list that I completed each day and see the list drop. It was a great way to stay on top of everything and a great motivational tool to get work done. 

3. Set personal goals

I made quite a few goals for myself for my college career before school and added to them throughout the year. I had goals that were academic, social, and personal. My goals included things such as making dean’s list, getting involved with a few engineering clubs, joining a club outside of engineering of something that I love, and to become more confident. These goals gave me something to work towards over the long-term. I also had other short-term goals ranging from getting at least a B+ in physics to earning a rover spot for WEPO this year! Setting these goals for myself helped me to keep motivated in order to accomplish all of these. Take time to figure out what you want to get out of your college experience, write them down, and work towards them. Don’t fret if you don’t meet these goals right away either! Goals are something to work towards and strive for.

4. Don’t let others intimidate or discourage you

Normally I would feed off of people doing better than me in my classes or getting leadership over me because I’m very competitive. This past year, there were times some of my friends would do better than me in class and friends that would get upset when I earned a position that they also wanted. I would start to get stressed thinking that I had to do better than my friends because I got competitive. Instead of feeding off this and working harder like I did in high school, the stress would get to me enough that I would actually do worse. I would also start to feel bad about getting leadership when I saw my friends that didn’t. My mom summed it up pretty well by saying, “College is your time to be selfish.” This is the time where you’re actually preparing for a career so letting other students get to you is only going to hurt your progress. Do the best you can do in your classes and fight to achieve your goals. Be a little selfish.

5. Take breaks once in a while

Maybe that kind of seems counterproductive, but sometimes a break is what you need when you have a lot to do. After studying for a while, let your brain take a break and watch your favorite show or go get lunch with a couple friends. Sometimes a nap is the perfect break too! After your break, you’ll feel refreshed and be ready to keep working. 

6. Find the people that will help you achieve your goals and stay motivated.

It might not happen right away, but these are the people worth having. A lot of mine came from WEPO including people from my team and my mentors. I also found a lot through SWE. For me, it took until about halfway through second semester for me to realize who was really there to help me meet my full potential. These are the people that you can go to for advice, can help you find opportunities for leadership or academic help, and those that are just there to be a good friend. These people could be your study group, best friends, mentors, or your parents. They don’t even have to be engineers, but they are the people that will help you move forward, achieve your goals, and become the best person you can be.

Lauren Boyle is a sophomore in Architectural Engineering and a Rover for WEPO'13.  To read more about Lauren visit her WEPO Profile: http://raindancer45.wix.com/ladyengineers#!lauren-boyle/c246t