What did you learn from last year that has provided you with a new perspective on goal-setting, its importance and why it matters? Is there anything you’d do differently because of last year? Is there anything that worked really well that you plan to continue this year?
Last year’s exercise of setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals most definitely provided me with a new perspective on goal setting. I found that being aware of what I wanted to give to and get from my MUN officer experience resulted in my making a more conscious and direct effort to work towards those goals. Spelling out my goals and intentions on paper made me more aware of what I was working towards, and defining these goals with specifics such as time frames, methods, and extents helped me feel in control and helped my goals feel achievable as a first-year officer. Something that worked well from last year when setting my goals was making them very personal and relevant to my MUN experience and what I cared about. Rather than setting my goals solely based on what I saw others valuing, I really reflected on my journey to see what I value and what I wanted to give back to this program/conference given my own experiences. I definitely came from the same place when setting my goals for this year as I believe that knowing that I am working towards something that I truly care about and truly feel will make a difference is what will motivate me to continuously work with my goals in mind. Something I’d do differently from last year is to keep progress checks or logs to measure where I am/what I am doing to achieve my goals. This isn’t necessarily required, but I believe this will help me stay aware of my progress towards these goals given that I'll be having a busy year and it’ll serve as satisfaction and motivation that will keep me working as I see myself getting closer to accomplishing my goals as the year progresses.