Sophomore Year, Sophomore Year…

I have to be honest, I had to be a bit of writer’s block for this week’s post. I was originally going to write about the feelings we all experience after a break up, but that post was just too hard. So, I was left with no idea what to write about. But, thankfully, the Big Man upstairs was looking out for me! I got on my phone this morning to find a Timehop from one year ago, when I had posted about my freshman year goals. I realized this would be the perfect time to reflect on my goals from last year and look at my goals for my sophomore year.

First, let’s look at my goals from last year and see how I did on them…

1. Be present and genuine.

I really do feel that I achieved this goal last year.  Sometimes it was hard to be present at TCU, when I was missing my family or friends, but overall I feel that I did my best to make real, genuine friendships and focus on making the best of my time at TCU.

1. Do devotional every day.

I really got into a great routine last year and did devotional just about every day last year. I did a lot of diverse devotionals and really got to explore the Word. I definitely learned a lot about God just by spending time in His Word.

1. Be healthier.

I got into a good workout routine last year, but I could definitely improve upon being healthier. I did not eat as well as I should have, and I was too quick to pick out fast food over healthier options. However, I did learn to appreciate my body better. Too often last year, I focused on being skinny, but I have learned that a) I am never going to be super thin, and b) health is not measured in the size of your waist. I have a way to go when it comes to being healthy, but I did learn a lot during my freshman year.

1. Do my best in school.

This is one thing I am super proud of—I did do my best in school. I did not finish with all As, but I finished with the best grades I could have possibly gotten. I prioritized and I worked hard. I can say, without a doubt, I did my best in school.

1. Don’t put too much pressure on myself.

I do think this is another goal I succeeded on. I really focused on doing my best and not expecting perfection of myself like I had so many times in high school.

1. Love others and be loved, and seek the opportunities to do so.

This is one goal I wish I would have focused more on last year. I kind of let my freshman year be a little selfish and focused on myself. I did surround myself with friends that I loved and loved me, but I could have been more intentional about loving others.

1. Be on fire for Jesus.

I don’t know about this one. I learned a lot about my faith, grew and changed in my faith, and talked openly about it. But I think I can always push myself to be more on fire and joyful for the Lord.

Now my sophomore year goals. This year, I chose to aim higher and I made goals for different areas of my life.

1. 
   

School

     Study in advanced.

This habit speaks to my experience from last year. Some tests I studied really well for and some I just crammed the night before. This year, I want to get into an overall better schoolwork routine, especially studying more in advanced than just the night before.

Get all As and Bs.

Freshman year helped me get a gauge for what I’m capable of in the classroom. Of course, I would love to get all As, but that is an incredibly lofty goal and this semester is definitely my hardest semester thus far. If I can finish with As and Bs, I will be happy.

Make connections with at least two professors.

This is another goal I wish I would have had last year. It is so imperative to make connections with your professors because they just improve your college experience. So many professors have amazing professional connections and many things I apply for require a letter of recommendation from a professor. TCU requires office hours for professors and I want to take better advantage of those this year.

1. 
   

Health

     Drink three bottles of water a day.

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I need to drink more water.

Workout four times a week.

Last year I was able to get a gauge of my workout routine, and some days it was very difficult to get to the gym to workout. For now, I am going to start with working out four times a week, but I would eventually love to get to five or six times a week.

Get toned.

I want to take time this year to really focus on my muscles in the weight room and less about how many calories I burn on the elliptical. I would love to gain some strength and muscle mass, in addition to getting as toned as I used to be in high school.

1. Oh, Hailey

Post once a week.

My blog posting was kind of all over the place last year, so this year I really want to push myself to consistently post every Friday. I really want to grow Oh, Hailey into a recognizable blog name, and I know that that starts with consistency.

Produce and post consistent and diverse social media.

As many of my followers know, I have really been increasing Oh, Hailey’s social media presence (make sure to give me a follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!) and so I want to spend time producing quality, engaging content for the blog’s social media.

1. Personal Development

Take breaks for myself.

This isn’t so much a goal, as it is a habit that I want to continue from last year. I learned pretty quickly last year that I need some time every day to decompress and recharge. I normally take the last one to two hours of my day to do things that fulfill me, like watching Netflix or reading. I find that if I have this time, I feel a lot more emotionally and mentally prepared to tackle every day.

Read one book a month.

I want to take more time to read books that interest me that aren’t for class. This will require that I cut out more time in my day to spend time with a quality book, but I want to finally get into the many books that I have on my “To Read” list.

Be present.

A continuation of my goal from last year, I want to continue to push myself to be present in whatever situation I am in. It takes a lot of effort on my part to not be thinking about my task list or schedule for the day, but I want to make sure I am devoting my best and full self to wherever I am at.

Be intentional.

I think “Intentional” is my word for sophomore year. I want to not only be intentional in my relationships with others, but more than that, I want to be intentional everyday about how I spend my time. In college, it can be very easy to slip into the mindset of letting yourself just get through the school week and focus on getting to the weekend. I want to stop thinking in this way and focus on making the most of every moment, whether it’s in class, at work, or doing homework. I firmly believe every moment has its purpose and I want to start living up to that.

So those are my goals for my sophomore year. I’ve put a lot of thought into them and I can’t wait to see how I grow this year!

#school #excitement #life #college #goals #lessonslearned