Whenever I think of goals I hear my mother’s sassy voice saying, “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.”

I hate to admit it, but she is right.

Whenever you start a new phase in your life, whether that is a new job, a new semester or a new commitment, you should create a goal for yourself.

If you do not establish any goals in the beginning, you will have no clear direction for the rest of the semester.

The Daily Eastern News is no exception; as a staff we have established both semester-long goals and monthly goals.

Our main mission for August is recruiting new members to fill our vacant positions.

By brainstorming as a staff we have a few strategies on increasing our staff: talking to peers, hosting open houses and making welcome signs.

While our semester goal is to have all of the open positions filled with students who are content in their new roles.

By marketing the News throughout the semester and by having extensive training we will be able to gain more people who are fully aware of their roles as a staff member.

This all sounds fine and dandy, but in reality goals tend to become forgotten, overlooked and postponed.

I cannot even tell you how many goals I have started but failed to complete.

So learn from my mistakes and take heed of my advice.

It is important to make each goal as detailed as possible. Every goal should be S.M.A.R.T.

S.M.A.R.T stands for specific, measurable, action-centered, reasonable and time sensitive.

The more information that is included in the goal, the better you will remember it and the easier it will be for you to stay on track.

For example, “I want to work out three days a week for hour so I can lose five pounds by December” is a more effective goal than “I want to lose weight.”

The first goal will be easier to measure and track because it has a clear deadline and it has a plan of action.

Another tip is having goals that line up with your passions and your personal beliefs.

Each goal should ultimately improve your current circumstance.

It is important that you analyze yourself and evaluate what areas you need to improve in.

If you do not see the purpose of the goal then you will not be encouraged to complete it.

The mission of the Daily Eastern News is “tell the truth and don’t be afraid.” However, this mission will not be achieved if we have only a handful of staff members. So every time a new goal is completed our mission will be achieved as well.

Move-in weekend is a very busy time in the year, but set aside a few minutes to think ahead and write down a few goals.

Kalyn Hayslett is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or kehayslett@eiu.edu.