Good day, Mason’s graduate and professional community. It is one of my favorite times of the year, and I wanted to write a welcome to all our new and continuing graduate and professional students to a new term at George Mason. For me, the spring term has always been one where goal-setting is in full swing, and I hope you are already under way in keeping your goals for this new calendar year and semester. When my colleague and I were both Graduate Assistants for University Life, we came up with the following suggestions for goal-setting in her blog post "Goal-Setting and Motivation." I find keeping these three points in mind when creating my goals to be particularly helpful:
- Be end goal-oriented.
- Saying “NO” is not only okay, but also preferable.
- Scheduling is key to success.
We are all here to graduate and to advance in our careers. Keeping that goal at the forefront of your mind and decision-making will help you more than any other advice I can offer. It is something I have had to learn and struggle through, but it is something that has made a real difference in my life, and I hope it will in yours: it is OKAY to say no in order to make time to complete your work and to create space for yourself and your well-being. Schedule when you work, whether on campus or elsewhere, schedule when your classes are and when you will read or work on a project, and even block time in your calendar for some personal moments. You’ll make time for yourself and all you need to do, while creating a way to see what is on your plate and keep you accountable for what needs to be accomplished. I hope y’all keep these three points in mind and have a great beginning to your semester.
January 31, 2023