People make goals every day in life and it is there decision if they want to work hard enough in life to achieve them. I think everyone can admit that achieving a goal, no matter what size, is satisfying. Achieving goals boosts our confidence and makes us realize the amount of success we have in what some people say is a hard world. I believe that, through my own life experiences with academics, athletics, and being a good person, to achieve a goal and become successful in life you need to work hard (a major achievement does not come easy).

My parents and I set a high standard for myself when focusing on academic goals. Tuition is expensive nowadays and being the last child out of five, my parents are already washed out for money because of student loans. I realized for myself when I was going into high school that it would be important to get quality grades in every class in order to fill a financial void that we have. I took my skills of math, history, and english to the next level this year by entering into two math classes and taking two honors level courses for the other subjects. I understand that this means I will have to do extra work in order to get the same grade as I would in an college prep level course. Sometimes I would think to myself that honors level courses were too hard for me, I even considered dropping down to A level at some point. I know that wouldn’t be wise to do, so i just told myself I would put in the effort needed to succeed because all of my surrounding teachers and my parents knew I could. Through long nights of homework, projects, and studying I was able to achieve all A’s and a couple of B’s in all of my classes. This was my goal, I have achieved it, but in no way did it come easy for me.

Sophomore year I quit basketball in order to do winter track because I thought I had a brighter future for track. I never thought I would bring myself to do this because I had a lot of pride in my earlier ages in basketball. I knew if I quit something that my childhood consisted of, I would have to push hard to make it worth it. Running hard workouts around the track everyday, sometimes even bringing myself to the point where I throw up, in the beginning of the season made me reconsider if my choice to run track was worth it. When the meets came around my coaches were very proud with my times and told me that colleges may even look at me in the next couple of years. Not only that, but I was able to qualify for states which is a goal for mostly all track runners. This started to shine light on my running career and started to reconsider my doubt for myself in track caused by the intense workouts. Along with my academics, this is another thing that could help me with my college tuition. Track is definitely not an easy sport and it requires hard work and determination in order to achieve a hard goal in it.

Being positive and respectable are very important qualities to have as a person in society. I have been in arguments with friends multiple times about all different things but I make sure I do not become toxic. For example, I once had a friend who thought I stole his shoes but I never got hostile towards him. I just tried to calmly reassure him that it was not me who took him because it was the right thing for me to do. Not being a good person, I would just freak out on this friend because of him falsely accusing me but I did not do this which resulted in our friendship staying strong. Throughout debates and such with people I may not even be close friends with, it is important that I always remain respectful and think of other people’s feelings before I say something. This may be a challenge because you may hear something you strongly oppose but it is all worth it in the end to remain a good person because people will respect you for it. For myself, I make it a goal for me to be positive and respectable through what may be a rough time, and i think I have achieved this during my lifetime.

People make goals every day. The meaning of these goals to a person may vary depending on how monumental they are. The goal that you achieve may be small or big, but in the end when you achieve these goals you will feel instant success. You just have to push hard and have a drive to reach the goal you set and never hinder. Through my own life experiences, I believe that major goals do not come easy and you have to work hard to reach them.