I would have never gotten to where I am today without clear set goals. Without goals, life is but a meaningless journey on an unclear path. If you strive for nothing, that is what you will get. From the time I was a freshman in high-school, I have been very goal oriented. Unlike a lot of people, I was not the type to write my goals down. Instead, I had in my head what I wanted to do. Every single day, I made sure I did something to reach that goal. For instance, when I wanted to be on the freshman softball team, I made sure that every day that winter I was either running, lifting weights, batting, or something. That way, every day when I went to bed I was that much closer to my goal.
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
FAITH
Faith is the most important aspect of following your goals. Sometimes we cannot always see the light at the end of the tunnel but we have to keep walking. My faith was tested to the max in trying to reach my goals:
It was the second to last softball game of my senior year of high-school. I was the starting catcher on my team and we were almost done with a great season and graduation for my class was a few weeks away. I was supposed to leave for West Point shortly after that: I had it made. Then in an instant all my plans changed. As I slid into second base I felt my ankle pop and had a horrible sensation run up my leg and spread all over my body - both for the sheer pain of it all and for watching my world come crumbling down. A few days later my worst fears came true: I had almost completely severed the ligament, tore the cartilage, and ripped my achilles tendon - basically everything short of breaking the bone. I was going to be on crutches for six weeks and in rehab for months after that. I had to baby this injury if I wanted a full recovery.
As I walked across the stage shortly there after and received my diploma it was bittersweet. Yes, I had graduated high-school, I was near the top of my class, and I was free. But my future was unknown. My dream came so close and was suddenly ripped away again. I did not know where I would go to school, if I would be able to play softball ever again, or if I would ever have another shot at West Point.
At this point I needed strength - strength that I found in God. I found that when I left all of my problems up to Him, I suddenly had a lot less to worry about. I decided that that was the way it was supposed to be: if West Point was going to happen, I was going to have to wait.
I decided to attend another nearby college where I did Army ROTC and played softball. It was here that I first played rugby. I decided to make the most of it. I finished my first semester with a 3.97 and re-applied to USMA. I decided if I got in, I would go, and if I didn't, then it was God's way of telling me no.
I got my letter of acceptance in January. Feelings from the year before all started coming back: the excitement, the apprehension, the anxiety. My goal was in sight once again.
Now I am half way through my freshman year and ranked 36 out of 1200 in my class with a 3.77 GPA. The experience I gained being in the real world for a year has proved to be invaluable - I knew there was a purpose to it all. I have learned to be patient, and work toward what I want. I had to wait another year, but I made it. Some people would have given up - I just didn't want to be on my death bed and asking "What if?"
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
-Theodore Roosevelt
NEW GOALS
Now that I have made it as far as I dared to dream in high-school, I need to make new plans. I have what I wanted and now must redefine what success means. My life does not end at 25 like I must have thought when I was 15. I have set new short and long term goals that I am striving to reach each and every day. I thought that attending USMA was an impossible goal - many people told me that. I am thankful I did not listen.
"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
-Robert H. Goddard
SHORT-TERM GOALS
I define short term as anything that will happen while I am still at USMA. My short term goals included graduating in the top 5% of my class, starting a women's rugby team, and starting on the softball team. I also want to be active in Officer's Christian Fellowship and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. These five things are what quantify success for me here at West Point.
Like I mentioned before, I must do something every day to make these dreams come true. I always put my academics first not because I desire the marks but because I desire the knowledge. I go into class every day with the attitude that I want to learn something - I find that the grades are not that far behind when this attitude is taken. Athletically, I am constantly working at being a better softball player. I run as hard as I can and make the most of what time I can spend on softball. I also am working on the rugby team. I have been gathering support from outside rugby sources and have a couple officers actively working on my side.
I have taken the first steps...now I must persevere.
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
-T. S. Eliot
LONG-TERM GOALS
My long-term goals are all those that will happen in my life beyond the academy. One of my biggest goals is to make it to the Olympics. I originally wanted to go to play softball but it looks like my opportunity will be in rugby. I was recently invited to play with the Combined Services Women's Rugby team. I am playing my first tournament with them soon and hope to gain skills and experience.
Another goal for after graduation is to fly. I have always wanted to be a pilot and can feel that opportunity knocking at my door. I want to branch Aviation upon graduation and fly Chinooks (for those of you that dont know - that is the double-propeller really big cargo helicopter).
My last long-term goal is to work for either Boeing or NASA. I am going to major in Aerospace Engineering and hopefully I can get a job in the Army that will prepare me for work afterwards. I have always been intrigued by flight and want to one day have a shot at being an astronaut.
"You gain strength, experience, and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face... You must do the thing you cannot do."
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