As we head into fall there is a lot of excitement and changes happening! One of the very best parts of fall? College football! Is there anything better?
Something else kicking off right now is the college admissions process. So, what do college admissions, football and life in general have in common?
Those who find success in one of these or any other arena have something in common. They create and execute a game plan for what they want to accomplish!
You may be thinking: “That’s great, but where do I even start?” “How do I create or execute a game plan for my success in college and in life?”
We’re glad you asked! Here’s a few things to keep in mind when creating and executing your game plan for success!
Establish a goal or end result that you want to experience. This step is key. You can’t follow a map if you don’t know where you ultimately want to end up. Before creating a plan or map for success, you have to know your ultimate destination. For example, have you started thinking about a career path you might be interested in? If not, you should start thinking about what you ultimately want to do. Once you can begin thinking towards a more long term goal, you can begin to make a plan to get you there.
Take inventory of where you are today and identify the gaps between where you are and where you want to be! Chances are, there are a few gaps between you and your goal. No problem. Find the gaps, face them head on, and take the next step. What could this look like practically? If you’re a freshman, sophomore or junior in high school, consider your college list. Begin to look at schools who have the programs that could get you to your ultimate career goal. The career you want should significantly influence where you want to go to school. For instance, if you’d like to work towards a career in journalism, then the Grady School of Journalism at Georgia might be a great choice. With that in mind, you could look into the average GPA at Georgia – a 4.04 – and you can work towards that GPA to ensure you’re accepted. If you’re GPA isn’t quite there yet, you now know the gap and what you need to do to close it. You should also look at a school’s average SAT / ACT score and other statistics so you have a clear goal to work towards.
Develop a progression of steps that build on each other. Create a list of small attainable goals that will help you take a step forward each and every day. How can you develop that list? Let’s take our previous example with a career in journalism. If you’re working towards getting into UGA and attending Grady, try finding someone who also majored in journalism at the same school or even a different one and pick their brain on the steps that they took. By chatting with someone who has previous experience, this can help to paint a picture of what that path might look like, while also giving you ideas on how to make it your own. It’s all about single, small, simple, successive steps!
Now it’s time for execution. This is the most important part. If you don’t follow through, a plan is just a dream without execution. Knock out one step at a time, taking daily actions to work towards your goal. This part of the plan isn’t complicated, but it does require discipline. Studying diligently to keep your GPA up each and every day, finding the right activities to get involved in around your given career aspirations, staying on top of other extracurriculars and preparing for your SAT / ACT tests.
Remember: A well contrived plan, gives incredible confidence!
A plan isn’t just a plan, but a confidence builder, a motivator and a map to get you to where you want to be! If you have any questions or want to dive deeper into creating your own success plan, don’t hesitate to each out!
