I'll get the hang of this eventually...

Okay, my blog posts are extremely sporadic, but now that I have a handle on school and my schedule, I will try to do better.

For tonight, an observation followed by my thoughts on this observation.

The observation:

Many people, school age, teenagers, college students, even adults, do not have clearly defined goals in life. They are content with where they are, or worse, they are content with whatever happens TO them. They do not view life as something they do, they view it as something that happens to them and something they have no control over. I am severely disappointed when I ask any of my students what their goals are and I get a shrug of the shoulders or the always popular, "I dunno."

Here are my goals, followed by my thoughts on why I think goals are so important.

1. Be a part of and help to raise a wonderful, Christian family, sharing the upbringing I received from my parents, especially my mom.

2. Ultimately become Dr. Charles F. Henry, and conduct a stellar choir at the university level.

3. To have a positive effect on any and all students and people I encounter along the way.

My thoughts on the importance of goals are easy to explain. They give us direction and drive, a sense of purpose that everyone wants and needs. I think someone once told me, or maybe I just came up with this, that everything you do in life is an audition or application for the next step. High school is an audition for college, college an application for a job, your first job the audition for your next and so on. If you do not know your goals, these things no longer become steps but merely treading water or running in place. People have asked me how long I plan to stay where I am and I tell them, "Until the next step up becomes available." Certainly there is something to be said for feeling satisfied and happy, but there is a difference between being satisfied and settling. Don't settle. Always look for and be ready to take the next step.