Junior Student’s Corner
by Sifu Charlie Romeo
It’s a busy time of year here at the Academy, and in many other aspects of our lives. Whether that be school, work, or other commitments, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, especially during busy and overwhelming times. That being said, let’s discuss the importance of setting goals and taking action.
First things first. What exactly do you want to do this week, month, or year? There are many aspects of Kung Fu that you can make goals out of. Do you want to finish your current form, be able to complete your push-up requirements, or grade for your next rank? Think about what you want to accomplish. Now, set a time frame (this is crucial!). If you set a goal to finish your form, maybe it’ll happen over the course of several months. But let’s say your goal is to finish your form by the end of this month; now the pressure is on to take action. This means regularly attending class and practicing at home. Remember, accomplishing goals involves hard work!
An important aspect of setting goals is writing them down, and I don’t mean on your phone or computer. Go old-school and write down your goals with pen and paper. People are far more likely to take action and achieve their goals when they physically write them down, as this creates a sense urgency, self-expectation, and excitement to get to work. Writing down your goals also creates goal clarity, as opposed to having half-baked goals scrambled in your head with all your other thoughts and ideas. If you write down your goals, you will be more motivated to take action.
The most important aspect of goal setting is also the most difficult, and that’s taking action. Once you have your goals written down, what good are they sitting on your dresser, or worse, thrown in the garbage? The first step in taking action is looking at the goals you wrote down and formulating a plan. For example, let’s say you want to attend 7 classes over the course of a month. Ok, you have 8 classes available per month on average, so plan ahead. Is there a day you know you can’t attend? Then you need to make sure you are able to attend the other 7. Are you able to attend all 8? Great! You’re already on track to surpassing your goal. Once you know what needs to be done to accomplish your goal, write that down too. Now all you need to do is follow your plan, and you’re on track to achieving your goals!
For my parting notes, I want to remind you that your instructors can help you with this process. Setting and achieving goals is not easy, so if you are ever struggling to formulate a plan, or even struggling to think of a goal to set, come and talk to your instructors for guidance – we’re here to help you succeed!