Setting goals has become a focus on the here and now

Ah, existence—the mystery we spend our entire lives trying to solve—or don’t. Many of those who read this article will either currently be attending NDSU or have already graduated, or perhaps are just looking for something to read. 

However, there is one thing we all have in common: we all have our own goals. We all live our lives in ways that we think are best for ourselves and for others—with extra emphasis on the first term. We want the best to happen for everyone but we also want the best and easiest ways for ourselves in the pursuit of our goals. But do we even know what it is we truly want?

I bring up such a question due to something that dawned on me the other day; I was speaking with a mentor about what I plan to do once I graduate from NDSU. I explained I hoped to work in the broadcasting field. He asked why, and I hesitated. 

I think we set long-term goals of what we want to do in our next stage of life and prefer not to think further on it. The phrase, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” is not exactly a stable life philosophy. 

“Why exactly,” I replied. No other words were exchanged. In my journey of college, I have learned everything I didn’t want to know about myself. I also learned that ‘Second-Time Around Thrift’ is a great place to purchase sculptures of birds, but that is a story for another time.

I think we set long-term goals of what we want to do in our next stage of life and prefer not to think further on it. The phrase, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” is not exactly a stable life philosophy. 

Our lives and our presence in our current surroundings are far more important than we realize. You were given the chance and the choice to do something that would radically change your life. You made your decision, and now you are living with it. But how are you living with it? Are you pleased with the journey you are making?

I believe so many of us get so caught up in our short-term goals that we refuse to think further on what we will do in the long-term aspects of our lives. I certainly know I have. But the truth of the matter is, in addition to the long-term mattering to ourselves, it is important to others as well.

In a chapter of my favorite book, “The Martian Chronicles,” by Ray Bradbury, a man and a martian meet for the first time. However, the two are separated by the bounds of time and can only see each other. The martian lives in a vibrant world of peace and happiness, whereas the astronaut is in a desolate, lifeless desert.

The two are ghosts to each other and cannot physically touch. The man is downhearted since he has no physical evidence of this martian from a dead civilization in his time. But the martian encourages the man to simply live life as a testament of being pleased with his existence. The two then part as friends—each back to their own lives in worlds that can never coexist. 

The meaning of this moment is that we have importance and are special in our own ways; something we often overlook.

Every single day, we live we are faced with choices to make. Every decision can be one of two things—a positive one or a negative one. By showing up to class every morning you let your teacher and class know that you care to learn—or that you don’t want your heavy investment to go to waste due to your own laziness. By speaking out what you believe and what concerns you, people better discover who you are inside. 

The more you reach, the more you recognize, whether you recognize something about others or about yourself.

In class one morning, my teacher encouraged the class to write down on a slip of paper what we see ourselves becoming in 40 years. I wrote down what I hoped to become. 

Now, not only do I have my future self to look forward to, but also to look out for. Your long-term goals can be defined by your actions today in the executions of your short-term goals. Do them well and see what develops.