Week 12

Its VEISHEA week everyone!!! You know what that means! Well for most people it means going out and having lots of fun experiencing the Iowa State adventure, but for some people (like me) it means study and work hard so you can get all of your projects, papers, and upcoming tests studied for. I LOVE college!!

This past week Karen and Zach outlined the 2 methods we could use to create goals for ourselves. One of the methods was the SMART goal planning method. I had heard and used this method before for previous classes and general goal setting for various aspects of my life. One SMART goal I remember making was targeted towards changing an unhealthy habit I had. I chose to alter my portion sizes and aim to have more portion control over my food intake. My goals met the SMART goal criteria, however it was a little hard for me to attain. The exercise I did around creating and attempting to meet a SMART goal didn’t really fit me as a person. For me to set goals, I need a different method to where my goal is more planned out step by step of how I will attain it rather than just a set criteria saying whether or not it is a ‘good goal’.

I plan to try the other method of goal setting (the 4 M’s) to see if that would be a better method for me personally in setting goals for myself as a peer mentor this fall. One goal I have in regards to my future role as a peer mentor is to be as readily available as possible to help my future mentees in any way I can. I believe it meets the 4 M goal criteria in that it is motivational because I want to help my mentees. No one needs to necessarily help me commit to my goal just because the motivation in itself is reason enough to commit to my mentees and their needs. To make my goal possible, I need to make sure I have time set aside to dedicate to my mentees and any given point throughout the semester. Tracking my progress shouldn’t be an issue because morally, I either will or will not feel like I have given my mentees the time of day and met every request they have of me as the mentor.