The 3am Teacher: S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting Tips & Printable templates!

When I was MUCH younger than I am now, I used to have the most vivid dreams about flying.

I don't know whether these dreams were related to my home situation, but whenever I had them, I woke up "knowing" that I was capable of flying.

I just "knew" it was possible.

One of these times, I decided I would give it a try. I decided to tie my bed sheet around my neck... just in case I didn't quite succeed on my first try... you know... like a baby bird first beginning to fly.

At the time, I shared a room with my younger sister and we had a metal framed bunk bed. I think it was painted red....

I was completely unaware that tying anything to my neck could cut off my air supply, and the thought of suicide had never even crossed my mind. I carefully tied one end of the sheet with a slip-knot on the bar at the back of the bed... to give me jumping room.. and the other end of my sheet to my neck. After already tying the other end to the bed, it was a little tricky tying that other end to my neck.

Before I tell you what actually happened, let me give you a little insight as to why I would believe that I could actually do something I had dreamed I could do...

I am one of those people that can watch someone doing something and automatically know how. I taught myself how to do a front hand spring by watching the Olympics, and at the age of 3 I was writing my letters because I watched the people around me write... not that I could read or understand what I was doing.. I just saw someone doing it and believed that I could.... and I could...

After going to a piano lesson with my friend when I was in 5th grade, I begged my mom for a piano because I just knew I could play it... I never got a piano, but I did get one of those hand-held Cassio pianos... which at the time... was AWESOME! I opened the box, scrounged for batteries and turned that thing ON!!

I remembered my friends' fingers, the positioning, and mostly, the tune and sound of the correct keys. I played several of the songs on the piano, which people were amazed by, but I never learned to read the music... Not that I couldn't, I just never had the desire to do so... or a piano to inspire me to learn a new skill.

I also ~~kept~~ keep a journal next to my bed because there were many nights I just HAD to draw whatever it was I had been dreaming about.

I am in awe of how intricate our brains are.

Back to the flying... by now, you can probably imagine why I truly believed I had the ability to fly.

I stood up with my feet touching together and stretched my hands in the air, took a few wobbly steps forward (I was on a cushioned mattress, you know), and took a brave leap off my bunk bed...

Luckily, that second attempt to tie the sheet to my neck was not very good, because I slipped right out of it as soon as my weight gave the sheet a tug.

I never did try flying off of my bed again, and from that point on, I was a bit more hesitant as to the reliability of my dreams...

I chose not to try again because I failed miserably. There was not even a moment of flight or feeling of weightlessness... I went straight down and knew I would never fly.

Just like my leap of brilliance off of my bunk bed, I believe that we often take these types of leaps in our day to day lives when it comes to setting attainable goals and preparing steps to achieve those goals.

We come up with a brilliant idea or "plan" and we take that leap without really putting enough thought or planning into the original plan; causing us to fail miserably.

Once most people fail miserably at something, they are far less likely to try that "thing" (whatever that thing may be) ever again. However, maybe if they had had a better plan... their idea could have transformed into something great.

Big ideas, with consistent goal setting and planning, can prove to be quite rewarding in the end.

I am not saying that if I had had a better plan, I would be flying by now.... that is not a reality. What I am saying is that we need to break down our ideas into manageable, yet attainable goals in order to work towards our main objective (teachers, you all know what I am ~~talking~~ writing about)

If I had known that flying was (is) impossible for a human body, then I might have moved onto something else that morning... you know... instead of almost hanging myself with a bed sheet.

That would have most certainly been a strange news heading... 7- year old girl hangs herself from bunk-bed...

People might have wondered what an 7 year old would be so depressed about... I bet "thinking she could fly" would have never even crossed their minds... no one knew my dreams and I did not tell anyone I thought I could fly... it just happened...haha

Possibly, having a few trusted friends around, that we can occasionally bounce our ideas off of, might help us to more effectively work out the kinks...

Here are a few S.M.A.R.T goal setting tips that might help you get ready to begin setting some new goals.

I have also created a fun file with several goal setting templates and note pages that you can print and use at any time for only $2.00!! Click below to check it out at one of my online shops!!