It’s important to set goals for ourselves to ensure that we are always on a journey towards self-growth and improvement. This is a powerful tool to develop, especially in our formative college years, since we are constantly learning and experiencing new things.

Everyone has long-term goals, such as “get into med school” or “buy a nice house and settle down with an adorable dog.” (Both of which are equally amazing, just so you know.) That said, people often forget that setting short-term goals is crucial for our growth as well. Doing so allows us to make steady progress and stay accountable.

April also happens to be my birthday month (eeeeep!!!! 20!!!!), so I am hoping to make it the best month possible. I hope to make wonderful memories and become a more mature, lovely version of the girl I am today.

I suggest that you write down your own smaller goals for this month in order to make sure that you are making progress towards your long-term life goals. Ask yourself: What do I want to get out of April? Consider the big aspects of your life, such as academics, physical health, mental health, family and friendships, and career.

Still need inspiration? These are my goals for the sunny month of April.

Become a Yogi

On the last day of March, I went to my first yoga class ever and I fell in love. The class is all about body positivity, mindfulness, self-love, and connecting the mind and the body. It made me feel so full of love and ready to face the day.

I’m making it my goal to go to at least 3 three yoga classes per week, sometimes with friends and other times by myself. I think it is nice to go with friends because we can empower each other through the exercises. It’s also nice to go alone so that you can focus a bit harder on meditation and becoming connected to your thoughts and breath. It’s all about balance!

I already made a yogi Pinterest board, which I realize is incredibly on brand for me as a person. This way, I can fulfill my destiny as a ~mindful, healthy self-care blogger queen~ in every sense of the term. Also, I saved a bunch of cool yoga poses that I hope to achieve once I improve my skills a bit.

I will be purchasing a few more pairs of leggings and sports bras from Lulu Lemon. That way, I can walk into every class from here on out feeling confident and beautiful in my skin. I also want to buy an essential oil bracelet so that I can wear some on my wrist all day. Basically, I’m embracing my inner hippie.

Throughout the whole class, I was wondering how I could get more involved, perhaps even teach the class someday myself. (Because when I get passionate about something, I go ALL OUT.) So…I applied for the Yoga Instructor Training Program through W&M.

This program would start in September and span six months, teaching us about the history of Yoga, anatomy, terminology, alignment and posture, etc.

I would absolutely love to be a Yoga instructor someday because I think it would help me get so much more in touch with my own mind, body, and spirit. I also hope that in teaching Yoga, I can help other strong individuals see their own inner strength and love their bodies for all of the wonderful things it does for us every day.

I want to help fellow W&M students release the tension from the past week so that they can start the next one with a more open mind and heart.

Crush Those Exams

I have my third set of midterms during April, which also happen to be the last exams before finals. So, it’s a main goal of mine to do well on these exams … and eventually ace all of my classes for the semester!

Unfortunately, I have two exams on one day and a third one just two days later, so that will be a bit stressful. However, I have already started studying for these exams because I don’t want to place any further stress on myself by procrastinating.

Rock Smokey Joe’s

I am currently in a musical at W&M called Smokey Joe’s Cafe with a bunch of incredibly talented individuals. We have been rehearsing every Friday afternoon all semester, but now that the performance is coming up soon, we are really picking up the pace! (The performance is on April 25th at 7:30pm, for anyone who wants to come see it.)

I can’t wait to finally put this show together. Smokey Joe’s is all 1960’s song and dance that the audience will likely know. Therefore, every rehearsal is just my friends and I, having fun and showcasing our triple threat talents. My favorite number that I’m in right now has to be Jailhouse Rock, because it’s so high-energy and there’s a lot of fun choreography.

My goal for Smokey Joe’s Cafe is to give 100% every single rehearsal and performance (including tech!) and to have fun with it. I am also going to try to document the memories throughout the rest of the experience with pictures and videos. That way, I will be able to look back on this month and remember how much fun I had making art with my best friends.

Celebrate 20

My birthday is April 22, which also happens to be Earth Day! I really hope that I will get to spend my birthday surrounded by loved ones, my family and friends. Anyone who knows me knows that I take my birthday very seriously, so it will have to be amazing!

Therefore, my birthday goals are to get dressed up in a cute outfit, have meals with my mom and dad, and perhaps take some cute pictures. Just a few days later on LDOC/Blowout, I will have a wonderful time with my sorority sisters running around campus celebrating Spring!

Inspire Others

I hope that throughout the month of April, I will continue to inspire those around me to think, speak, and act kindly to others and to themselves. I intend to do this not only through my blog posts, but also in every real life encounter that I have with my friends.

I want to be the ray of sunshine in someone’s otherwise cloudy day. I strive to empower those around me to be the strongest and most kind versions of themselves that they can be.

I also hope that in the month of April, that I will continue to treat myself with kindness. I have only recently recognized my true strength and resilience — and now that I’m aware, I intend to remind myself of it every single day.

Plan for Summer

As you may have read in my past blog posts, I have lots of exciting plans for this Summer. I’m traveling a lot: Miami with my girl group, Stone Harbor with my BFF Kelsey, OBX with my family, and London for Study Abroad! I’m also doing some work: volunteering and shadowing at Children’s National Hospital, taking a Psychopharmacology class, and doing neuroscience research on campus.

So, another goal for the month of April is to get all of these plans solidified in terms of housing arrangements, finances, and packing lists. A lot of these details are already figured out of course, but there’s still a bit to do.

As always, follow my Pinterest to check out my boards for my Summer 2k19 destinations and aspirations: London, Miami, Stone Harbor, Travel, Sisterhood.

Overall, I am so excited for all of the plans I have made and I can’t wait to get started! I am fully confident that this will be the best Summer ever.

Hopefully, reading about my personal goals has inspired you to come up with your own list! When we make goals for ourselves, it becomes so much easier to maintain a positive view on life and remain optimistic in the face of failure.

Go forth: write your goals onto paper, make that Pinterest mood board, and make April YOURS!