Goal Planning.

I work in the news business as a producer. This is something that didn't happen overnight but thanks to goal planning, I made it happen.
I'll keep this short and sweet so that it will resonate with you. (I find that I always get distracted/bored if an article is too long)

1) Don't set unrealistic goals. Seriously, if you know you won't achieve a goal then why set it? It's wonderful to fantasize but don't say "I'll be the first female president" and you hate politics. That's just unrealistic.

2) Always have 3-5 short term goals and a time to achieve them. I recently started at a new news station and I set five goals that I knew I would master. And so far, three have been checked off my list. These short term goals can be anything from "I'm going to complete three extra credit assignments this semester" to "I will cook dinner every Sunday for the next six months". These obtainable goals will motivate you in the long run. I mean, it feels good to say "I DID IT" right?!

3)ALWAYS HAVE A LONG-TERM GOAL. Know what you want to achieve in the long term. Right out of college, I didn't know what I wanted to do besides make money. I chose that instead of following my orginal career dream. My mom told me to not chose a job because of money but because I loved doing it. Ignoring her, I worked for a retailer and then a cable company. HATED IT! I knew I wasn't happy and decided to do what I loved and that was report the news. It took me about a year and a half after I set the goal to achieve it. But thanks to the help of short term goals, it worked out. And I became a news producer! Same thing can apply to all aspects of life. Just know what you want or where you want to be in life. (this takes prayer/medidation/focus/courage)

4)Don't let anything distract you. Sure, life happens. The unexpected suddenly slaps you in the face. Don't let if get you down. Even if you need to postpone or push some things back...don't let it stop you from achieving what you said you were going to do. When I was trying to get into my career, I was working a full-time job, part-time job, and interning at a television station while auditing a journalism class. And then there was a boyfriend in my life. We'd been dating for four years. He felt neglected and didn't really understand why I suddenly had less time for him. He broke it off with me and I was devastated. But I didn't stop working on my goal! Three months later, I became a news producer. Two and a half years later, I moved to California and now I am a successful, emmy-nominated producer!

5) Once you achieve a goal...set new ones! Complacency is NOT a good look on ANYONE. Even if it's a personal goal like "I'm going to pamper myself once a month" or "I'm going to be a manager in my company in the next five years" you should always strive for something.

Here are some other things that help me: 

*Always network with your teachers, professors, co-workers, employers, etc. Anyone in the field you are/want to be in. They could be your boss one day!

*Never burn bridges. It's hard. SO hard. But even if a professor was downright nasty to you the entire time you took his/her class, never reciprocate it. It's a life lesson that 
will carry on. You'll have opportunities to burn bridges by quitting an employer on the spot, screaming at a co-worker. But you never know what/who can come back to bite you.

*Never forget who helped you. If someone helped motivated you or simply made a phone call that lead to a job interview, always thank them and never forget them. 

*Pay it forward. If someone helped you, help someone else. Plain and simple.

So ladies: plan to achieve the OBTAINABLE. Reach higher than you think you can (but at a realistic height). Distractions happen but YOU would be to blame for letting them affect your outlook on life. And never stop setting goals. They set you up for success...no matter what age! 

Guest Blogger: Akemi Harrison
Follow her: Akemi Harrison (@kemico) on Twitter

Sign up for Twitter to follow Akemi Harrison (@kemico). Producer at KXTV. Lover of breaking news, good music, pretty purses and shoes. Oh, and I like to laugh... a lot!