6.24

These are my goals; I am intentionally leaving out specifics because there are many variables within the next year that can change what I'll be doing years from now.

20 years from now (42): helping and informing people who don't have the time, energy or resources to understand all the minute (but necessary) details of everyday life. This is when I lose the chip on my shoulder, stop trying to seek validation for my place in society and profession, and start making a positive difference. My goal at this period is to make a contribution to society or an individual every day. Whether I'm a PR practitioner, a reporter or a lawyer, someone will rely on me and that is, inherent, a daily goal.

10 years (32): not having the time, energy or resources to understand all the minute (but necessary) details of everyday life. I'm starting to realize that coaching does not equal criticism. But I still have insecurity issues each time I feel like I may be learning something new from a more experienced pro who's willing to teach me everything they know. What if I let my mentor down? What if I'm not good enough? My skills and abilities feel like they're stretched to the brink of their potential, and I'm still coming up short of expectation. I feel uninformed and unintelligent. But then I look around and see that most people my age have felt the same way I've felt at least once; I also begin to see that with more experience, the game will eventually slow down just enough for me to react to the quickest new turns. My goal at this period is not to panic if my WIN/LOSS record might be hovering below .500 percent.

1 year (23): This period is crucial because it's when I will have either finalized the decision to start OU Law in the Fall or I'm several months into the job of my career (PR or journalism). I feel no fear because I'm unaware of what I'm getting myself into. I only know that my undergraduate studies are over and I'll be experiencing a mysterious feeling creeping up from my chest to my throat, making my eyes watery; it will be the unfamiliar sensation of missing school. I'll immediately shake away that moment of irrationality and remind myself that college wasn't an end, but a means to an end. My goal during this time is to prepare myself mentally for some big changes ahead.