A Dream, a vision, a goal, a desire, these are all things most of us know we need when we are working towards success. However, they are all very different things.  I did a lot of research and interviewed my friends about what their dreams and goals are. I'm not surprised that some of them have not even decided yet! It's perfectly normal, of course.  

"Are you sitting at home for your dreams to come true and change your life?"

The  question is, what is the difference between a goal and a dream? 

A Goal: It is what you want to achieve and it is something you work towards. You plan and it takes up your time, money, effort and sweat. Goals require action. Goals are about what you can actually accomplish and it is realistic.

A Dream: It it something you wish to do but you do not make any forward planning. You daydream for free. And dreams can happen without lifting a finger, even while you are asleep. They are imaginary and is probably not going to happen.

I asked my friends what they think would be the appropriate age for someone to decide what they want to do with their lives. The answers ranged from 13 (beginning of teenage years) to 21 years old (beginning of adulthood). Someone said that age does not matter.  I disagree. You may say that now but it will matter if you are an unemployed forty year old living under your parents' roof. It is important to plan future life decisions and we were taught to do this ever since we had to choose which colour crayon you wanted to use for your drawing. Which school do you want to go to? Which subject combination do you want to learn? What job do you want to have? When do you want to get married? This is another reason why you want to set goals. So you have plenty of time to think of the pros and cons before you actually have to make a decision! You have keep pushing yourself to achieve your dreams and goals.


I am in secondary one and I get to choose what subjects I want to take when I am in secondary three. I plan on taking Drama Elective, Literature, Geography and Science. This is my goal and to work towards it, I must ask my seniors and teachers for advices and I must discuss this with my parents. I want to be an actress, a stage actress or a TV/Movie actress. When I was young, my dream was to fly to Hollywood and make it big there. Unrealistic, I know. That's why my goal now is to work hard so I can finish university and audition for a role in Singapore's mediacorp and from there, I can make my way up to the top. I am prepared to fail, but I will keep trying again and again until I succeed. This is why I have been in Drama CCA since I was 9. I want to improve my acting skills. Haha, young me already have thinking about my future. Before I'm an actress, I can be a part-time ballet teacher or a tutor. I do not want to depend on my parents. I want to work hard, be filial and support them when they grow old. I do not want to get married when I am too old, I want to be able to relate to my future kids. Yes, it sounds crazy. I'm only thirteen. I should make these decisions when I'm thirty! It is still way too early for someone my age to make full life decisions, but I feel it is only right to at least begin to make plans so I won't be lost when I suddenly have to grow up and work. This is my opinion and it is okay if you think otherwise.


My friends' dreams are to meet their idols, go overseas or just marry a youtuber. Recently the PSLE results has been released. I am proud to say that a student in Raffles Girls' (my old school) has scored the highest this year! My juniors also broke the record of the school for the past years! Many students probably just let their parents decide their school for them. My friend, however, has called up TKGS (the school she wants to go to and also my current school), got a recommendation letter from RGPS's principal, did research to know more about TKGS and attended our school talks. Now this, is goal setting and working towards it. More teens our age should learn from her!


After I had a small chat with my best friend about this issue, she decided to follow my advice and she came up with a long list of things she wanted to achieve. I was so happy because I used to worry for her as she did not know a single thing about what to do with her life! 

When I asked why she had these goals, half the reasons were because her parents expected them from her! She wants to improve on her school work not to be a more successful person but because her father expects her to be in the top 25 among the whole cohort. You should not set your goals for anyone else but yourself. This is your life, your journey, your story. No one else should be given the right to tell you what you must do! Do what you want because you want them, not anyone else.



My other friend told me she didn't have any dreams at all. Reason? She does not want to disappoint herself as she is always disappointed by other people. When she said this I was dumbstrucked, all I could say was that it was really deep but now after thinking about what she said, I think that she should not think this way. If you are afraid to disappoint yourself, lower your expectations. Set a super realistic goal, something you sure can achieve if you put 100% of your heart and soul into it. 

When I was doing research and interviewing others, I learnt that as long as you set your mind to it, anyone can achieve their goals. Just try, start with something small and easy to attain. Step out of your comfort zone, take one step at a time, reward yourself and you can go nowhere but up! But of course, don't be too disheartened if you fail the first time. Ask yourself? Maybe I got lazy and forgot to do something? Maybe my goal is too unrealistic? Maybe I need to ask someone for help? Never be afraid to ask for help, after all, we are all human beings and not a superhero. Even superheroes need help actually, that's why there are the avengers! 


Special thanks to: Phoebe(who suggested this post), Karina, Asfar and Jean!


♥,
Jermainex